Incentives
by Giureedi
Summary: Materialism is never good when it comes to love...or is it? Ciel gets himself a girlfriend on the basis that she's an incredible baker. Is that really all it takes to conquer super-cute bishies? Set after the end of the anime, second season. CxS
1. Chapter 1

Here I go! :) This is my first Kuro fic :) I just haaaaad to write something for my lovely little Ciel :) And I'm just going to make him suffer... a tiny bit :) maybe...

edit:/ I forgot to mention that there are some *SPOILERS* in here, because it's written after the anime, Ciel _is_ a demon here ;)

Disclaimer: Own nothing :)

Please enjoy:

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Kuroshitsuji

"Ne, ne, do you have a favourite, Ciel-kun?"

He flinched on the inside at that all too familiar way his name was called. How many years has it been? Since he heard her voice, no since he heard all their voices. But it was past him now. Although demons could travel through time, albeit preferring the ages in which their influence was at its height, they could not go to the time before they were born. Else, what would be the point? It wouldn't make sense since Ciel would be able to manipulate himself.

He gave a slight glance at the person writing something on the blackboard at the front of the lecture theatre. Then, he flashed his most dashing smile.

"Unfortunately, I do." He knew that this had an uncanny sweet effect on all those demons surrounding him. Of course not because he was a cute innocent boy, but because they admired his sarcasm-dipped words.

I mean, it was the private academy for upcoming demons after all.

A red-eyed smirk in his direction made him shudder. Ah, his plan had worked. He had successfully drawn his attention.

He was surprised and just slightly irked at Sebastian's instant popularity as their lecturer. It hasn't been all too unexpected of course, but he had secretly hoped he could maintain a monopoly over his butler. Obviously, any person who found out about his infatuation was destined to an early death.

Ever since the day he obtained immortality, it had been demon law for Sebastian to teach Ciel everything about his new way of life. Ciel couldn't even begin to fathom when along the path of torture he had lost his heart to so sadistic a creature.

Naturally, it hadn't been his idea to study somewhere this crowded. Ciel Phantomhive was NOT one for crowds. He suspected the older demon was probably just poking fun at his ever-lasting master when he suggested teaching his charge about integration into demon society.

To be honest, Ciel's powers had indeed exponentially increased, to the point where it even scared Sebastian, not that he would ever tell the arrogant brat though. It did not warrant studying amongst a crowd of them though!

"You're dismissed!" Their gorgeous teacher curtly finished his lesson.

Ciel raised his head, searching for those sharp eyes piercing his soul, but this butler had already disappeared.

"tche!" he scoffed when he didn't get the reaction he wanted. Somehow, this was getting him really mad. How many times did this make now? The 4th? 5th? For about a month now, Ciel felt as if his tutor had been giving him the cold shoulder. His wishes were still granted but only to a need-to-absolute-minimum-touch extent that immediately filled the boy with unexplained rage. On some days he even felt like he was feeding on the servant's attention.

The room began to blur around him, voices a bare mumble in the background. It was happening yet again. Before the walls around him could start spinning, he had abruptly stood up and stepped out onto the school grounds.

The wind was so omforting here. He loved walking through the night, brooding by himself as he made his way to his favourite gravestone at the cemetery nearby.

The cold marble beneath him cooled not only his body, but also his thoughts. If there was one wish, he could not have granted, it was to wish he hadn't fallen in love with Sebastian. No matter how he thought about it, that was just impossible. The only one with the power to grant it would be Ciel himself, which would result in severe heartbreak. Not to mention the demon's sarcastic expressions, if he would ever find out. And so he was stuck with the constant swaying in his stomach area.

He sighed. Seriously, how could this have happened to him! A few drops of rain trickled onto his head. It was time to go back. He was probably the last student to leave, as usual. But on the inside Ciel hoped that a certain teacher would have waited for him. He didn't want to have to order the older man all the time. Instead, he had started to futilely yearn for voluntary actions.

Suddenly, there was weight on his shoulders. At the same time, the rain above his head stopped. His heart instantly skipped a beat, while he turned around slowly.

Shoot! He was used to Sebastian being the only one who could sneak up on him, yet alone touch him! (or in this case put his jacket around him). Disappointment was clearly written across his face, when he stared back at a girl sporting mouse-brown braided hair and a white button-up shirt, accompanied by a brown checked mini-skirt. It was the female version of his school uniform.

He sighed, but put his stoic façade back on anyway.

"What do you want?"

Which didn't mean, he could be bothered to be polite.

"I-I…" He could see her large light grey eyes, before she bowed her head and thrust a brown paper bag at him.

"I really like you Ciel-kun, please go out with me!" Her voice was trembling with anxiety.

He blinked._ What did she expect but a rejection coming to me looking like some kind of geek?_ Yet again, Ciel was compelled to let out a deep sigh, mentally preparing himself for the wailing and whining, he was sure would ensue, whenever any girl was rejected by him.

Nevertheless, his attention fell on the little offering she was still clenching. He scrutinized it closely. Something about this was really attractive! The smell coming through the bag was heavenly. It was so sweet, he was tempted to drool. How did she get it that tasty smelling anyway?

A painful twitch in his stomach was asking him: "What the heck are you waiting for?"

But if he took them, he would need to take her feelings too. At least, that was what her eyes seemed to imply.

Regardless, the twisting in his stomach had gained supreme command by this time. He couldn't resist, but grudgingly took the treat offered to him. Oh boy, this will be so troublesome.

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So? What do you think? Thanks for reading this far!

I hope that I will see you next chapter! :D

Please leave a comment ^^


	2. Chapter 2

Incentives – Chapter 2

"Then, I'll see you tomorrow, Ciel-kun!"

He stared at her retreating back, feeling himself doomed. He threw a glare at the paper bag as if it was its fault all along that he had agreed to date her. What the heck? Couldn't he at least have found a prettier girl if he was going to get one anyway?

The rumbling in his stomach area called for attention again. Making sure that no one was watching, he opened the container. Instantly, the sweet smell of bakery, sugar and vanilla extract filled the air.

Oh, how he loved cakes!

With greedy eyes he examined the miniature tart in front of him. Then, he nodded to himself. It looked like several heart-shaped strawberry tarts. He scoffed at the slightly strange image of love, pink and hearts next to hell and demons, but dug in nonetheless.

It had been way too long since he had something as simple as tarts. The taste of course could not compare to Sebastian's baking, nor the decoration for that matter, but who _can_ beat his favourite butler? Not even in hell could someone make something as satisfying as he. Ciel chuckled to himself. Though, he had to admit this treat came dangerously close. It made a suitable snack.

At least she brought his bags and jacket from the classroom with her. Ciel sighed, he had secretly hoped his butler would walk him home, but it seemed like yet again failed hope, as he peared at the entrance through the trees. He looked at his bag leaning against the tombstone quite skeptically before pulling it over his shoulder.

Before, he would never carry his own bags. Sebastian was good for such purposes. But since he came here, posing as a "normal" student, he was expected to carry his own stuff. Luckily his demon powers helped him carry most of the weight anyway, but he swore that he would make Sebastian pay for those discomforts.

Despite knowing that the other was waiting for him at his new manor, he was sure that he didn't want to return in a hurry. There was night or day in the demon world. There was essentially only night, and there was no need for sleep. He had all time in the world.

Besides, seeing his servant would only make his blood pulse faster, in more than one way. That wasn't what he needed right now. There was only so much disappointment the boy could take.

The moment he had re-entered the dusky forest on his way 'home', the sound of his stomach gave another grunt. His head quickly turned around, looking for any unwanted audiences. When he didn't find any, he let out a deep sigh and frowned.

It looked like the tarts didn't do one bit to ease his hunger.

Why was he so hungry all the time anyway? He couldn't recall the last time, his butler had not constantly satisfied his appetite with brilliantly cooked dishes.

There was a second reason why he didn't exactly want to go back that badly. Though, he did like the closeness of Sebastian's presence, he was absolutely aghast at their living quarters.

Of course it was huge. And of course it was well-tended with flower gardens and all, but he couldn't for his life fathom Sebastian's choice in décor!

Back at Phantomhive manor, everything was of course to his taste, as it was rebuilt from past memories, but this place had been created from scratch. A trusting master as Ciel was, he had left all furnishing to his _capable_ servant. He should have know that _all_ his servants were idiots in one way or another.

The first sign that he was close, was the cawing of several hundred ravens. Well, that was alright. He had seen the other's true form more than once. Nevertheless the rasping sounds still caused him tension. He felt on edge the instant one of the winged creatures landed on his left shoulder. Their calls were creepy alright, but he secretly adored their feathers, softly tickling his ear.

No, the first sign didn't bother him too much. The second on the other hand completed the ominous feeling to annoyance.

When he came into 50m radius of the estate, the loud meowing and glowing stares of several thousand cats that made themself known. Ciel furrowed his brows in a grimace. What the heck?

They were following him indiscreetly either with their eyes or literally. Moreover, they had two tails, and were larger than the ones he was used to. They looked positively demonic. He couldn't believe that Sebastian managed to find more cats than crows, when he was somewhat of a crow himself! How does that add up? With all his smarts and genius he could not figure it out.

When he reached the last three steps to the main entrance, the doors opened from the inside. Their eerie creaking was much more welcomed than the constant scratching at his feet.

"Welcome back, young master."

"Sebastian, make me something to eat. I'm hungry."

And so his heart started beating erratically. Careful not to let any emotions slip, Ciel swiftly passed through. In a split second the weight of the bag was lifted from him and the crow set off to its nest in one of the towers.

"I understand."

As soon as his jacket was taken off him, he walked into his study as quickly as possible. The symptoms were getting really bad. Even though the other demons gloved fingers barely touched his shoulders, when taken his coat, heat had immediately flushed into his head. Not only that, his mind had already leapt into that cursed juvenile corrupted area of his brain (the one connected with the idea of undressing…)

Only his large office chair could give him comfort now. It used to be way too big for his small frame, but that was in the past. Now his almost outgrown limbs snugly fit into onto the cushions. His feet stood firmly on the carpet. He always like the his reflection in the mirror, the image of an almost grown man.

He tried to cool his flushed face by burying them in his still cool hands. Didn't work.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the nearest paper on his already paper filled desk. Maybe that could distract him. When he said goodbye to his mortal life, he had thought he waved his paperwork goodbye as well. Apparently that wasn't so.

He stared at the question on the paper in front of him. There it was again. That accursed problem he had been trying to solve for half a year now. He wasn't stupid. He grasped all the concepts and formulas Sebastian threw at him, no matter how complicated. Magic involved a lot more memorizing new words and concepts than solving problems critically as in business decisions. But this one problem involved all of them together. He had to create his own crest.

He had cursed the day Sebastian came to him and told him that every other demon was given theirs when they were born, except Ciel. That was one thing he had to figure out himself because he was under 'special circumstance'. By law Sebastian held responsibility for him, but he couldn't help him with this. It was essential. And impossible to solve! There were just so many risks, obligations and rules, they made his head swim.

Sullenly, he pushed the file away from him, and grabbed one of his homework folders. Another set of formulas to solve.

"Would it kill the demon to give me less homework?" he mumbled to himself.

"Young master, it is very important that you recognize the importance of learning about our way of life." The smooth voice sighed dramatically. He could sense the smirk without looking.

Ciel sat back, waiting for the butler to clear the space in front of him from paper and set down the usual silver tray. When that didn't happen after several minutes, he looked up at the other, at the risk of having another heart failure.

Even in a pensive mood, he was looking stunning. His servant didn't seem to be focused on the task at hand, but rather in his own thoughts. Finally, a spur of hesitation grazed his unmovable features. That was extraordinarily rare. Ciel couldn't remember the last time that ever happened.

"Young master, there is something I need to tell you, regarding your new inamorata, I would advise you to keep your distance."

There was a moment of silence.

All kinds of emotions wavered through Ciel, some of embarrassment at having been found out, some of astonishment, some of admiration, annoyance, but mostly of pain. While the face devoid of feelings taxed his heart, a cringing physical pain had suddenly attacked his abdomen.

His head hit the top of his desk hard, causing further throbbing, but the feeling of someone holding his stomach and squeezing it hard was incomparable.

Not even the seething heat radiating through his body due to his worried servants touch could help against the invisible force crushing his flesh. He clutched his stomach, trying to force away the paroxysm, as he clenched his teeth.

He felt how something moved in the back of his throat before he coughed and found his hands covered in red liquid.

It was the last he saw before his body went limp.

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*I converted 'bocchan' to 'young master', which should be the same :)*

わり、ね。I had what you would call exams

But now I finally uploaded this! I really like the dramatic effect in the end! I do have to say it's my first time writing something so … physical? I'm more the dreamy/thought-based type I guess. Next chapter will be up next week, I believe! Do give me time to write it, cuz this was born from the spur of a moment! I haven't typed ANY next chapters

Thanks for reading this far!

Please leave a comment, I think poor Ciel needs your support 3


	3. Chapter 3

I LOVE YOU GUYS! THANKS FOR FAVS, ALERTS and COMMENTS! 3

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Incentives – Chapter 3

"A poached salmon with mint salad has been prepared for your breakfast. Toast, scones and French pastries have been prepared as an accompaniment."

Ciel awoke to the gentle clinking of Wedgewood china. He rubbed his eyes lazily. It had been excruciatingly long since the unforgiving rays of the morning sun shone into his eyes. It was time to get up, dress up and show up to whomever he had to meet according to his butler's schedule.

Instantly his brain switched to which business. Didn't he just set the budget yesterday?

A shock like an electrical pulse ran through his body when his fingers brushed over his right eye.

It was impossible. He threw back the white sheets covering his lower body, and despite the cold found his way to the dressing mirror. A pair of sapphire blue eyes stared back at him solemnly, accusingly.

As if on cue black spots filled his field of vision. Tongues of fire licked at him, spreading from his lips to stomach to the rest of his body. But it did not feel painful. He wrapped his arms over his shoulders. Something about this warmth was comforting.

He was pleasantly surprised by a shadow looming behind him. Yes, it was the Sebastian's trusted arms winding their way beneath his knees and on his back. The touch only seemed to emphasise the feeling of heat spreading through like Earl Grey tea on an English morning.

Instinctively, Ciel knew that this was the heat he was searching. It would be the thing he needed to satisfy whatever was causing him pain. This comfort was safe.

Suddenly, an earsplitting noise of shattering glass surprised caused both their heads to snap around. Morning was no more. Slowly the sun was fading away. It was not twilight. The light literally dissipated into nothingness, instead replaced by the moon's constant glower. Ragged shadow distinguished themselves on Phantomhive manor's white beige walls. They were circling in on them. Quitely, quickly.

What was happening? What was Sebastian waiting for? He turned to look into the demon's face for the first time, and for the first time it was a mask of strain. Hissing grew ever so loud from every corner of the room.

Whatever was happening to his butler, Ciel had to act now. He had been taught a few offensive techniques that would definitely allow them enough time to escape. But when he kneeled on the floor to burn the formula into the ground, a gloved hand held him by the shoulders.

"Don't make my job harder than it is, young master." His companion whispered into his ears.

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A midnight blue canopy stared back at him. The tingling warmth before was still cursing through his body. He put a finger to his lips. They felt numb, but when he licked them they tasted like honey. With a frown he also recognized the droning of hunger catching up on him.

There was still an echo of the convulsion but he felt a lot better. It must have been the effect of the honey, he guessed.

"Ah! It seems the young master has woken up." Ciel was surprised. For some reason he had thought he woke up alone. Peering through the curtains behind his servant, he was pleased to confirm that it was still night. As it should be. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth. It was met by a raised eyebrow.

"Sebastian, what time is it now?"

"Two hours until your next lectures."

A glimpse of amber caught the boy's attention. It had looked so exceedingly familiar, yet he had never seen it before.

"Sebastian, what are you holding?"

Curious, he sat up. He could barely make out the form of a twisted glass vial before the gloved hand holding it dropped in the depth of jacket pockets.

"Well then, today's breakfast consists of bacon and toast, accompanied by a selection of Scottish shortbread."

The butler continued as if the latter question had never been asked, choosing to change the subject instead. That, of course, did not go past someone such as Earl Phantomhive. It only served to make things more interesting. Sebastian must be in one of his more challenging moods.

At the moment however, breakfast seemed like a much better alternative than going along with the teasing of his servant. Thus, Ciel picked up fork and knife to devour his seemingly first meal in ages.

As qualified a butler, Sebastian was, a serviette was immediately handed to his master and his tray taken from him the moment he set his fork down.

He frowned slightly at the speed his servant managed to remove the tray, as if wanting to get rid of him earlier, but said nothing. There was something more enthralling at the moment.

"I do not like it when people ignore me Sebastian. Can you show me what is that pocket?" his demand was laced with haughtiness.

A moment of silence passed by in which Ciel felt the urge to tap his fingers.

"I cannot, young master." His servant was about to turn around.

"And, pray tell, why is that?" Ciel raised his eyebrows. Today Sebastian proved to be quite stubborn. What in the world could that vial possibly contain?

"It is something I absolutely cannot give young master." He turned around. Before Ciel could feel inferior, he threw back his linens to stand opposite the other, all while trying to ignore the fact that his white nightgown was not exactly opulent. He was now only a few centimeters shorter than the other.

He crossed his arms.

"But I had it. I've tasted it. I can tell. Did you not teach me to match the aura of objects with its taste? I'm sure I have tasted it." He argued curtly.

Sebastian was taken slightly aback at the mentioning of his teachings. Indeed, it was one of the first lessons to learn in order to filter 'good' souls from 'bad' ones. His face was tempted to form a frustrated smile.

"Yes, young master has tasted it and I would be grateful if it stays between us." He gave a slight bow to hide a smirk.

It was seen nonetheless. As expected, it did not please his master at all. It only added to the growing feeling of annoyance. This game was going a little too long for his tastes.

"Sebastian, this is an order. I want you to give me that vial." Ciel held out a hand, glaring at the expressionless man.

"My lord…"

The younger was surprised to hear something else rather than the usual 'yes, my lord'. And this tone! He had never heard it before. It almost sounded heavy. Slightly surprised, he looked up at the other.

Sebastian's face was no longer expressionless. It was, for lack of better words, broken into pieces of hesitation, pain, doom and even despair? As if he was suffering internally, just like the time he thought he had disobeyed his master's order. It was cringed in disgust.

Ciel didn't want to see this sort of expression on him. What was happening? Did he not promise himself to stop giving out unreasonable demands? It was only a vial for heaven's sake! He broke the heated stare they were sharing. His hands pressed onto the back of his neck, he turned around, walking away from such painful expression it caused a whole new wave of emotions in him.

"Forget it. Just leave."

"Young master…"

"LEAVE." It was the first time, Ciel felt he lost it in front of the demon. A thought had just hit him. A thought that would explain all the happenings so far, all the disappointments.

What if, just what if, there was a chance that Sebastian could lift the curse on him. The curse that bound him to Ciel for eternity? What if he had found a way to severe such tie and live as a normal demon?

Ciel was now old enough, knew enough about the boundaries of demon ability. If it was him, bound to another person, presumably annoying and spoilt, the first thing he would do was to kill such creature. Wouldn't that be the easiest thing to do?

But then, of course a contractor was not allowed to kill its contractee. What Ciel would do in that case, was to get someone else to kill him. Would it not be easy, for argument's sake, to weaken such contractee and then have them die on 'natural causes'?

Stop.

He really had to stop thinking.

What was wrong with him anyway? He just lost his temper!

Hoping that the oppressing anger would subside soon he changed into his school uniform. It didn't quite help as much as he hoped.

Sighing, he turned towards his desk. He tapped the candle between thumb and index finger to light it, before sitting and staring on a blank sheet of paper.

There was at least one problem he knew he would have to solve before his birthday. Ciel didn't know for sure why, but Sebastian wouldn't have told him if it wasn't imperative.

It was that problem of his seal again. He silently cursed the necessity to make such, but took the fountain pen anyway.

Writer's block.

He realized this as soon as he began to draw random circles over the paper. At least he had established so much. But there was just no clear explanation what to do! He wishes it would just make sense, like any other formulas. Soon, frustration grew once again.

The cawing of ravens caught his attention. It had become quite foggy once again. Giving another deep sigh, before shoving the cursed paper into his bag, he closed the door behind him.

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Thanks for reading this far! I will have to warn you that I had writer's block. Not the severe type, but the swampy type where you don't really know where you're going. However! I know now where I am going, and look forward to next chapter! It will definitely be more fun! And less serious than this one. I seriously had to lay the foundation for some drama here. (HINT: the vial is important!)

Oh and Ciel so conveniently has writer's block cuz I had some and he will continue to have some, until I get a great design off my mind… which will prove to be really hard.

Drop by a comment and I shall see you in a week!


	4. Chapter 4

Incentives – Chapter 4

How could Ciel have forgotten? Originally, the plan was to go to school to calm his thoughts in order to finish his work. The way Sebastian and he had argued was still weighing heavily on his aching stomach.

The way it was supposed to have gone was that Ciel would walk into school. Find his lecture classroom. Sit down somewhere he could see the other without it being too obvious. Spend the rest of the day staring either into space or brooding about conflicts with his love interest.

What really happened was that the moment he set foot beyond the school gate the girl from yesterday had pounced on him like a dog on biscuits. He almost laughed at the thought.

She was the same as ever. What had he expected? In all the confusion this matter had entirely slipped his mind. This wouldn't have happened before. Ciel Phantomhive did not simply forget to do things. In conclusion, it must be that damned demon clouding his mind's fault.

Here is also where his habit did not help him at all. The moment he felt the girl linking her arm with his, he flashed a polite smile. What else could he do not to flounder his role.

"Good morning, Ciel-kun!" She blushed.

He was about to reply, before tersely settling for a nod. Women always had this way of pouncing onto him that he would never understand.

He really should have restrained from thinking that thought. Thoughts like these had a habit of coming true immediately. In hindsight he probably should have guessed that school would never be his "quiet" place when his female classmates popped out of nowhere and he found himself surrounded with suggestive smiles or other advances within minutes.

Sure, he was used to being famous, but never so that it was a challenge to make it to his classroom in the morning. Nor to the extent where it was becoming hard to breathe and he wished back the times Sebastian had stuck to private lessons. "Fame" used to be something closer to the moment when his enemies stated "Ah, Ciel Phantomhive, the Queen's Dog…", before Sebastian made short process with them. Society was simply too troublesome.

Currently, he was twirling a red envelope between his fingers. He had found it amongst his books a few minutes after he sat down on his observatory seat in the first row. His heart was beating in erratic rhythm as soon as he saw the peculiar color. They were definitely the color of his eyes.

At the same time his brain was arguing back that if there was something worth saying his butler would probably tell him personally anyway, so his heart had to get a grip on and stop getting his hopes up. But when was a heart known to listen to the mind?

His concentration crumpled into pieces the second he saw the pink note and the scrawl across it. He sighed. Nature had a cruel way of playing him. Of course he had his hopes up and subsequently now suffered under severe disappointment. He couldn't fathom how his heart came to the conclusion it had a chance to expect the servant's elegant handwriting, instead of a messy scrawl, he could barely read.

It is natural to increase hope when one is in love, isn't it? But then, Ciel was cursed with failing to learn from his mistakes even after the 32nd love letter he had opened and later crushes in frustration. Of course he memorized the date, time and name of the girl, to properly reject her offer afterwards. But just sometimes, in the back of his head, he played with the thought of getting rid of those creatures obviously bad for his mental health.

Ciel carelessly tossed the crumpled piece of paper into the bin next to him as if dirt had contaminated his working space. This whole procedure had wasted ten minutes of the time he could be spending running his eyes over more "delicious" things.

"I ask you to refrain from reading private notes during my class."

A shudder rolled down his spine when he looked up into the smirking face of his tutor. How did he get over here so quickly! His heart was definitely not prepared, instantly shooting blood onto his pale cheeks. Did he see the whole thing?

"Please come to my office after class."

He did.

Ciel attempted a sly smile himself, but only received a chuckle from his lecturer now heading back to the front desk. He wanted to slam the innocent desk so badly! The warmth in his cheeks continued to linger for a while. His pale skin of course made sure his blush remained evident. He had always been able to hold back this kind of reaction no matter what his mind was thinking during lectures, but he had not put touch into his calculations.

Part of him was dancing for joy; the other was dying of embarrassment.

Had Sebastian not clearly ignored all his hopes so far? He had always kept contact with the master as short as possible. Now he had done what Ciel had been hoping for all the time: Beckoning him closer. A nervous feeling seemed to tie his heart into a knot as he closed in on the other's office.

It was a new kind of feeling he had not experienced before. Anxiety and the like could never shake a Phantomhive. How else, would they have fulfilled their duties? But Ciel was human and humans made errors, was it not? Except…

He breathed in uncharacteristically deep, before turning the brass knob to their meeting place.

Clad in black as usual, his butler was facing the window across the room. It looked surprisingly normal, plain even. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Ciel had expected a few cats and crows stowed away in cupboards. But so far, there was no trace of animal activity.

Without turning around, he heard his favorite voice asking him to lock the door and sit down. The boy obliged, however, wondering how their master-servant roles could have reversed so quickly? Surely, Ciel was the one to be giving orders and not Sebastian? But with the emotions the boy carried he had long since learned patience and although disgruntled, sank into the smooth leather settee.

"Has the young master done all the assignments, yet?" His voice sounded indifferent, unconcerned. It was even more detached than usual when they interacted on school grounds.

"Here." Ciel really did not know what to say himself. On one hand he was still enjoying this extra bit of attention; on the other, his pride was taking not little damage. There was no one here. He would not be listening to his servant's demands if his heart did not tell him to.

Finally, he could see his partner's back turning around, one hand casually taking the stack of paper. Of course Ciel had been burdened with extra work, and of course he would finish it by himself. It was outrageous to even assume he would not do it. It was easy after all.

This was definitely not the reason, he had been called here. Expectation seemed to boil up in him again, but yet again he failed at keeping down excitement. At this point, the boy did not mind anymore. He was simple staring at the other's every movement, hungrily.

It did not take long for Sebastian to leaf through all papers, before sighing. He raised an eyebrow.

"Young master, one assignment is missing." He challenged.

Ciel had seriously hoped the older demon would not notice, but it was Sebastian after all. "How do you expect me to do an assignment I have absolutely no information on? I'm a genius in magic, but I fail to see the importance in designing a seal. I thought all demons work with formulas anyway." He commented drily.

He stared back at his lecturer, who sighed in resignation. Had he not known Ciel would be a challenge to teach, he would have given up long ago. The boy was simply so stubborn. He risked another look outside before lowering his voice to a whisper:

"This is the only hint I can give young master: You have the freedom to design, unlike us, who are given it. It is a great advantage. It is absolutely vital, personal…(here, he hesitated)… In human terms, young master may compare it with your signature or a wax seal. Surely, this concept is a familiar one? The only requirement is that it needs to represent you."

"Why are you whispering?" The boy quite happily demanded. It looked like control had shifted back to him.

The butler simply stood up straight, ignoring his contractee's teasing tone. It was no joke.

"Please understand. Young master needs to finish this assignment before we may move on. Time is not in our favor…already vultures are circling in on us…"

He was looking at the floor. Again, in window direction.

Needless to say, it annoyed Ciel to no end. Given, he was quite surprised at the way his servant seemed to be pressing out his words. For a second, it even seemed a painful smile flickered across that pale face. Though, it was so short, it could easily have been his imagination. Nevertheless, the boy found it more disheartening that his butler seemed to avoid eye contact at all costs.

He had not felt the air move, but his breath stopped in his lungs as he felt a warm gloved hand covering his eyes. It was a gentle gesture. So gentle, he had not experienced it, since the day he witnessed Madame Red's death.

Another low whisper sounded like a lullaby in his right ear. He needed to refrain from just melting and sinking into the touch. The heat had instantly flushed back up his pale cheeks.

"I strongly recommend young master to put an end to secret engagements with your inamorata. It disheartens a delicate soul such as young master's, but causes quite infuriating complications for static spectators. Not to mention adultery is quite the offense."

Ciel expected a characteristic chuckle at the end, to proclaim everything a joke. But when he stared up, the older demon's expression remained unreadable. He was looking once again, quite worried outside the window. Sometimes he just could not fathom Sebastian's personality at all.

His heart was beating so quickly and irregularly, he was almost sure it was audible throughout campus. This only served to deepen his scarlet face. Ciel stood up stiffly, but as quick as possible. It was getting too hard to breathe normally or keep up the façade without giving free reign to his undoubtly "offensive" desire.

"I will go ahead." Was all he managed to mumbled before fresh air became utterly imperative.

* * *

Woot~ I'm giving you a few hundred extra words! I feel so guilty about updating 2 days late! I was extremely busy, but I hope I made it up to you, and I will try to continue update on Wednesday, because: We're getting there heheh!

Thanks for reading so far, staying with me!

Please review, leave a comment bla bla bla...you know it makes me happy ;)

PS: I'm testing a theory, and I've been experimenting so far... let's see if I have to sacrifice my innocence for this fanfic I hope not, but I'll see what happens! ^^


	5. Chapter 5

Incentives – chapter 5

No way. No way. What he heard in the end could definitely not be true. It just could not. It was physically impossible, physically impossible for such a demon to show even a hint of emotion. He had tried so many times before.

Why would it work now? The enigma that was Sebastian, only served to pull him deeper into the tangle of confusion. What had changed to influence such stoic creature to display concern? He would not, should not bring up adultery, unless...How did he know about that girl anyway? Ciel cursed the ravens under his breath.

Great. He looked up to notice that his feet had taken him halfway home, before he recalled the message he received earlier. Right, maybe routine work such as this could keep his mind distracted, before it gave in to utter confusion.

The place they were meeting was not behind the school building or anything like those popular confession spots. Rather, the writer was at least thoughtful enough to notice Ciel's dislike of schools and crowds enough to set the place in a quite area a 5-minute walk from school gates.

It was place Ciel remembered well. Seared into his memory was the first place he visited when Sebastian first brought him to the world of demons. It was the cliff by the sea. He could distinctly recall thick grown grass and a field of glowing black and white roses. Nevertheless, he could not perceive any of those adornments tonight.

The weed at his feet blandly leaned with the wind. On a bench in the middle, he recognized an all too familiar red head with a groan. Oh right, he had never seen her handwriting before. But in all honesty, if she had told him to meet, he would have probably served her some kind of excuse. How cunning...

He wrinkled his nose before setting his smile in place and lightly tapping her shoulder.

"You have called for me?"

A gasp escaped his throat. Today things just kept surprising him, things that should never have happened. He faintly remembered commenting on her geeky looks, but he had never pronounced it aloud, had he?

He could not begin to recognize her style, there was barely anything to recognize! The faint image of Hannah's demonic form swam through his head. At least her expression was not the same. Now he did prefer the nerdy style. Ciel had trouble deciding where to look safely. In the end he had no choice but to settle for the ground.

"Ciel-kun! I thought that tonight would be a great night to try my new pastries!"

It was worth coming after all. Carefully not to sit too close to the degenerate, he trained his eyes on a familiar paper bag resting between them. Then, he dared looking at her eyes expectantly. They were positively sparkling at him. Well, as much as a dull grey can sparkle.

But before he could move on to raise his delicate eyebrows; a subtle swaying of the air announced an unexpected visitor. The day could not turn any better, could it? As if on cue, sharp claws dug onto the scalp of his head. He would seriously need to tell Sebastian to retrain his pets.

Speak of the devil. There must be a reason why one of his ravens decided to attach itself to him, not to mention how ridiculous he must be looking. A scowl arose, when he finished the thought.

As usual his fears manifested immediately. A high-pitched chuckled interrupted his confusion.

"It is true after all, Ciel-kun is so human!" She was giggling uncontrollably now.

What was true after all? The boy was taken aback. He had not been discovered, had he? "But, I am not." He stared at her wide eyed.

In response she laughed harder, causing her to bend towards him. He felt the urge scoot back as much as possible before her bare body could come any closer. The squished bag in-between was entirely forgotten.

"Ciel-kun is the most human- hachoo!- I have seen in a long time." Ciel thanked God for giving him such opportunity to self-preservation. Without hesitation, he plastered a smile on his face, and shed himself out of his school blazer. He casually draped it over her shoulders and made sure to close the buttons up front to hide any monstrous cleavage he was sure he did not notice on her before.

Now he could talk to her without fearing the corruption of his brain cells, on the other hand, he had to deal with her blush at the obviously mistaken "advance", and the seemingly tightening claws on his head.

"W-Well, Ciel-kun loves sweets for one. I mean, there is nothing wrong with that, we love sweet things, but they don't usually have that... texture..., you know." She played with her hands on her lap as if concentrating on choosing the least offensive method of speaking. "By the way, the raven on your head is adorable! Is he your pet?" She quickly added.

Of course Ciel knew this was no ordinary raven. It was probably the same that was sent out by Sebastian whenever he closed in on the mansion, though he did not see why his butler would send someone to observe him. Unless, ...

At the prospect of his butler actually worrying over what he was doing, he felt a little of his efforts pay off. He really must have done something right.

To test his hypothesis, he moved ever so slightly closer to his date. A smirk grazed his lips when he felt the raven's claws pierce his scalp once more.

"Something like that. So what is it you usually eat? Something even sweeter?"

He was pleasantly surprised by himself at the sincerity of the question. Could there really be something sweeter than candy and pastries? How would that be possible? His stomach gave an enthusiastic, yet painful leap at that thought.

"You don't know?" Her eyes grew wider with incredulity. "But you are one of the top students. You must know! It is almost time!"

Ciel had never liked it when people challenged his intelligence. "What is it?" he gritted his teeth.

Instead of a response, she started to rummage in her pockets. Finally she absentmindedly produced a small glass bottle. A mesmerizing red liquid floated inside it. Somewhere, somewhere Ciel had seen this kind of liquid before.

The vial, though transparent, looked much like one of the ingredients he had happened to come across in the kitchen so many years ago. It was a pepper. The red liquid swishing against its glass container only served to increase the resemblance to the actual spice.

For some strange reason, it was not hard to believe the pinky-sized glass could contain a delicacy. It seemed to emit some sort of attractive spell. Ciel had to blink a few times to focus his mind.

"What is it?" he repeated bluntly.

"Oh! It's my favourite! It tastes so sweet, yet carries a strong hint of acerbity. It's as if a hot knife cuts through the saccharine in your mouth. I earned it myself!" She proclaimed dreamily.

Still befuddled, Ciel kept looking at her for an explanation.

"Aww! Stop playing me! I know I was joking about you being human, but you are going a little bit far. I'm not royalty, so you don't need to worry I won't share it with you, but just in case, we should be discrete." Tentatively looking left and right, she proceeded to remove the small cork.

Despite the temptation and saliva running in his mouth, automatically yearning for the alien substance, he held her wrist.

"Royalty?" Answers. He needed answers.

"Fine. I'll play along." She huffed. "You know, one would think you should know most about our hierarchy, considering how uptight you are. Have you not heard the legends of the King of Hell? Pluto, Hades, Satan or whatever the humans call Master?" she snorted.

"Well, he as the ruler of our land sets all rules. But imagine his age, if you think about how old we are! At some point one grows vary of power and lets things slip, if you know what I mean. That's why the only people that are under his strict observation are his sons and daughters, poor fellows. So we can just as well enjoy ourselves with this little treat." She held up her vial.

Ciel shook his head at the gaping holes in her testimony, but decided to take in all the main information he was offered. So there were rules only followed by the direct royal family. How ironic, he would once again run into politics, even in such a place.

"What kind of rules?" he questioned her.

"Don't worry he has 27 sons to look after, he wouldn't check on whether a soul is illegally fed or not. He has enough trouble sending his servants out to check on them." She commented nonchalantly.

"s-s-soul?" The boy darted up from the bench as if he was seated in thorns. "Are you saying that is a soul?" He meekly pointed at the red liquid, now looking ever more scarlet.

"What's wrong with you? You don't like the taste? These are 20 murderers' to be exact! It'll keep fit for a few years! Not everyone can afford that stupid royal jelly..." she pouted.

"Is that the honey coloured stuff in a long spiralled glass vial, about this size?" Ciel hectically held his fingers to indicate its measurement.

Her astonishment spread across her freckled face:"Wow, have you seen the real thing?"

"I think I've tasted it..." Ciel gasped as he broke into a sprint towards the forests.

"Mou~. And we were having such fun time" the girl behind him chuckled, as she trailed behind him.

* * *

Tadaa~! I made it in 4 days! I do have to say that I'm very proud and entitled to brag my dedication as I'm sitting here at 1:30 am writing for you, despite a dangerous mountain of homework looming over me.

I even cleared 3 troublesome personal matters at the same time! What a productive week!

On a more interesting NOTE: We're finally getting to know our girlfriend better! By the end of next chapter, she will fully take on her place in this story , teehee, I can't wait for her moment to shine!

Well, then next chapter is up in approximately a week.

Do leave a nice comment, even if it is only to wish an overworked fanfic author, happy new year! :)

PS: **Happy Chinese New Year! I wish you all the most amazing year of the rabbit!**


	6. Chapter 6

Incentives Chapter 6:

Even the wind seemed to part in his mere presence, cowering from the raw emotion stirring within him. Everything was so clear.

With the force of a knife blade, the design for his seal manifested itself gradually the nearer he came to their mansion.

Ciel closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He exhaled and clearly imagined the already searing image in his mind, afraid to forget. But even if he wanted to, it was unlikely. Just by visualizing it in his mind he could feel the surge in power, the trickling in his fingertips. He could clearly smell the roses he had missed so much at the cliff. The most significant day of his life, indeed, how could he have missed that?

The first order of action would be to order Sebastian to finally play all his cards. He could not seriously have supposed Ciel would stay clueless forever, could he? That would be ludicrous! The vial he had seen just before he went to class. The one, his servant insisted on keeping, how could it be connected to his past.

When the raven on his head took flight into the night-sky, he could faintly discern the outlines of their establishment. But instead of waiting for the door to open from the inside, Ciel raced up the marble stairs, and for the first time in his life fumbled for the keys.

Before the older demon could even pull the handles down, the usually clumsy boy had roughly rammed the key into the hole and given the piece of metal a violent yank. He basically punched the door open.

"Young master opened the door by himself." A small trace of surprise laced Sebastian's false praise.

For the time being, Ciel decided to push this indirect challenge at his capabilities aside in favour of more pressing matters.

"Sebastian. In my office, now."

Instead of throwing his bag at his butler, as was his usual practice, the teenager threw it in the opposite direction of the stairs, accompanied by a nod to the heavy oaken double doors.

The final flurries of panic only subsided when the cool leather of his armchair enclosed him. Calmly, he proceeded to single out the caramel-coloured paper featuring mentioned assignment.

"You asked me to design my own seal. But you were not allowed to give me any more hints than that it had to describe my person. I finally understood what you meant. " He paused to glance at a pleased Sebastian. Said butler actually encouraged him with a barely noticeable nod.

A sliver of silver caught his eyes. He noted an opaque fountain pen in lying innocently on top of a cream sheet. He looked up to see his butler's expectant gesture for him to continue. It was certainly well-crafted, so well, that something told him it wasn't human made.

There was an inkpot in the far corner of his desk, but when he reached for it, Sebastian's gloved hands blocked his way. He shook his head gently. Seeing no other option, the boy shrugged his shoulder and set pen to paper nonetheless.

Ciel immediately knew his hunch had been correct the moment the tip drowned the paper in red ink. Red ink, that suspiciously congealed first into cream and then froze into ice. It almost seemed as if the liquid bled out of the silver tip.

After the initial shock, the boy proceeded to proudly draw a perfect circle. That was the easiest part, he had practiced the most. Now, he needed to transfer the image in his mind to the paper in front of him.

The picture took the form first of a group of three triangles to which he added a smaller group of triangles. After three layers, it evidently became the image of a rose. In the middle, where the heart of the plant was supposed to lie, he drew a cross and coloured two opposite lying fields, such that a chess pattern appeared.

When he finished, the writing miraculously darkened into purple, before changing to majestic sapphire blue.

"I have of course accomplished such paltry task." Another glance. "In exchange, I want information."

Ciel looked up at his favourite through long lashes. When he heard a chuckle, he raised a delicate eyebrow.

"What would young master want to know?" The man in front of him bowed, during which action curious eyes darted towards the sketch.

"You fed me a soul, did you not?" A sort of silence followed, in which Ciel could barely discern Sebastian's eyes narrow. He took it as a sign of affirmation.

With the paper rolled behind his back, he stood up and calmly, circling the other as if his action could elicit more information from the taciturn man.

"As far as I know it is an illegal act." At these words, a flinch escaped. "But I've also heard that in this land regular citizens are not directly under jurisdiction of the law. In other words, it should not bother you if …"

Ciel would consider the next step morally wrong. Though the fact that he was going against morals did little disturbance, the fact that he was forced to such action against Sebastian was almost more than he could take.

He closed his eyes in concentration, visualising the little glass container he had spied earlier. Within seconds a warm surge washed over the tips of his fingers, an unfamiliar glass edge taking place of a temporary numbness. He opened his eyes, now undoubtly glowing ruby.

The teen had started perspiring without notice. If his resolution had not stayed strong, despite his irregular breath, such feat would have been impossible. He had just used magic against his mentor, against the creature he considered important above all else! No physical injury persisted, but to _force_ one's way without the other's permission was, even in the land of demons, a rude grip onto someone's pride and aesthetics.

His opposite's lips were a tight line. His expression was emotionless, but the boy was sure that one clear feeling betrayed his whole façade. Written clearly in the red pupils staring at him was a single word: hurt.

Suddenly, the man seemed to awake from his stupor. With a panic, Ciel had never witnessed before, he jumped towards the curtains, pulling them close so harshly that the pins bounced from the rack at the top of the window, instant blindness.

Ciel's voice trembled through the darkness: "You did not tell me. Why?"

Despite reincarnation as a demon, his eyes had not developed the ability to see through the obscure. It merely decreased the time it took for his sight to readjust. In these moments he felt strangely bare, helpless almost.

A swishing in the air, however, told him the other person in the room had moved. Nevertheless, it was only when smooth satin made contact with the back of his vest that he knew Sebastian had approached him from behind.

A shudder, that had nothing to do with temperature snuck up his spine when gentle arms slid past his shoulders. One limb casually covered his eyes, commanding them to shut and him to stop thinking, while the other apparently suggestively snaked into the front pocket of his shirt underneath the school vest.

Ciel's chest pounded, begging for release from its cage. He could barely believe his ears. His mind was currently running amuck.

"I... have made my choice." Could he really take that as indecision? "In any case, young master, please activate your seal this instant! "

"Kyaaaaaa! Ciel-kun! The darkness lifted immediately as the door, Ciel could have sworn should have been locked flew open, revealing an all too familiar girl covered in his blazer.

* * *

I'm sorry this is immensely late! But I'm really busy right now, so next chapter will also be slightly late. A mountain of paperwork is looming over me, and if I don't get it done it

will only get worse, so please bear with me! I will still upload approximately every week, though.

Hiya all! I'm currently deciding whether or not to make this story into a long one… It's proving to be really hard decision. So I would love to have your input!

On this occasion I wish you happy Valentines! (I even added a shot of romance right here :) Just for your sake, ^^)

Please leave a comment if you like.


	7. Chapter 7

Incentives – chapter 7

"Ciel-kun, you forgot the dessert for today…" A short gasp slit through the silence. The paper bag seemed to drop silently, yet that innocent motion had the effect of a mass murder bomb.

The light slashing through the darkness from the corridor outside revealed a pair of threatening red eyes and a scarlet faced boy. With trembling fingers, Ciel grasped at the older man's sleeves, slowly but forcefully prying them off, while a traitorous voice in the back of his head whispered him to continue and take advantage of the fact their bodies were clinging to each other.

"Listen, uhh, thanks for the treat, you see…" He made an effort to step out of the embrace, ignoring the feeling of cold gliding down his body. Ciel was surprised at how many tears could bubble out of the girl when she slowly sank on the carpet.

Before his attempt at gentlemanliness could succeed, he was abruptly held back. Sebastian had gripped his collar tightly. An angry scowl that did not befit his demeanor changed into a sadistic, equally enraged smile.

"Will you cease that false pretense of yours?" something akin to disgust was clearly evident in his voice.

"Aww, I don't know what you are talking about. That's why I told them I didn't want to do this job." She sobbed. At first it seemed like weeping had lowered the pitch. But when her voice eerily morphed into mad cackling, streams of cold shiver ran down Ciel's spine.

He watched in horror as she staggered into an erect position, hoisting herself up with a nearby table for support. The boy scowled when his blazer dropped to the carpet revealing the lack of clothes on her person.

It grew only worse when he noticed her skin wrinkle and slip. It was the most revolting and disgusting image he had seen in years, watching this creature shedding its skin. Underneath, a smoother and paler complexion replaced the old one. It was however twice as gross, especially since her facial features recalled an explosion of pain in his head. Why were they so similar?

Déjà vu caused his stomach to churn and contort in suffering. The person in front of him was now clearly male. But people did not just change sex from one moment to another!

Sickness blurred his vision when his opposite, still chuckling, pulled his hair ties out, while at the same time running through his hair with a comb in his other hand. His hair color instantly changed from a plain brown to a flaming red, one that looked too terribly similar.

"What an actress doesn't do to satisfy her audience…." He muttered while fishing out light grey contact lenses that revealed poison green pupils. Once he smugly set his red-rimmed glasses on a high nose with a grin demonstrating all his piercing fangs, no doubt remained as to who was standing in front of the couple…

"SEBAS-CHAAAAAN!" the hall seemed to shake and Sebastian dragged his protégée a few steps backwards. "No need to introduce ourselves, is there? I DO wish you had asked for my name, Ciel-kuun! I had made up a really good one, too!" He stuck an index finger to his chin as if in deep thought, while grinningly stepping closer.

"Now let's get down to business: If you would please, Sebas-chan?" a visible shudder ran down the older's back.

"What would you be talking about, useless? Have you been demoted to cleaning service now?"

A pout followed: "Let's not play that game. You and I both know that he doesn't need to learn all this powerful magic to become a nuisance in the future, and that the shinigami association will come and stop another demon from being born. I just thought it would be a great chance for us to re-unite, chit chat about old times….argh!"

He couldn't continue because a fork had embedded itself on the wall, exactly where a split second ago his forehead had been.

"Not the faaace!" The death god wailed in response.

He whined."I thought you were only in an adolescent phase when you refused to go back and raise this kid!"

"Refused what?" suspicion was clearly evident in the boy¨s voice. From yearlong experience, he could tell when a secret was kept from him, and no one could convince him otherwise, not even Sebastian. A nervous hand held back a wrist that clearly did not intend to miss its target a second time.

"Should you really be sitting here with us discussing his future when you clearly will not be part of it?" The man clad in red smirked at him, while producing what looked too much like a chain saw to them.

"You know I got this back after the long time you disappeared. We all thought you had died, but how come your back,and how DARE you take Sebas-chan with you?" The pitch of his voice grew into synch with the dangerous slurring of a few hundred saw teeth now flying towards the couple.

Instinctively, Ciel leapt backwards, and was surprised once again at how far he could jump without any effort. Just as he had seen his mentor and butler do so many times before. And not a second too late. Where a just a moment ago his feet had been was now a gaping hole. Adrenalin instantly shot through his system, revealing a certain demonic arrogance he hadn't known existed.

"You got your filthy scythe back, but your skills have not improved at all... Mine, on the other hand..." He noticed only now with mild surprise that he still held the drawing with his seal and Sebastian`s honey dewan vial. Without a second thought he chucked both items into the pockets of his pants. Then he closed his eyes to chant one of those torturous spells he had read about in his lecture books. What handy things he had learned.

He could feel the magic shooting up to his fingertips,making a connection with his intended victim. But when he was about to push over the little bit spark required to set of his desire, a sharp pain recognized in his scalp.

Suddenly everything appeared sideways. A warm liquid trickled on the floor, and he realized he was lying sideways. Ciel had absolutely zero control over his physical body. However much he willed it to move, it only twisted and shook independently. It was worse than those electric convulsion therapies done on schizophrenics.

The pain was unbearable. He didnt notice until later that he was screaming his lungs out. His breaths came in short gasps. It seemed like the whole of his magic was focused on keeping him alive, no sparks left to use on battle.

A gentle hand rested on his shoulder. At first the touch caused his muscles to tense, but they soon relaxed when frightened eyes stared up to glowing red ones.

"It's time isn't it? Sebas-chan, not even you will be able to save him. I don`t have to do anything. He will die anywaaaay!" The red hooded shinigami pulled the last syllable long in delight.

Ciel was shocked. What time was it! Why would he suddenly die? He had immortal life, he was a demon! "Wh- What do you mean?" His lips had gone numb from the pain.

"Remember? Tomorrow is your birthday! Well, your 5th death anniversary anyway. That makes you 18! He flashed a content grin at the boy lying on the floor. Ciel swore he had never heard the redhead talk so much before: "Seeing as you have not eaten anything proper for almost 18 years, I am not surprised the powers you developed are starting to eat away your body." He shook his head.

"He had a lot to learn." The calm but tense voice of the elder demon cut through their conversation as if to protect the injured. "But he will be ready soon, Grell."

"I love it when you rawr my name like that!" he replied, making sure to lightly touch his cheek in mock surprise. "Not if I can help it!"

Another mechanic clank and the roaring of an engine signalled the start of another attack. Ciel was frustrated with himself and the world that he could not move at all. So the whole reason he had been craving so much food, was because he did not have any? And the demon powers he kept using actually ate at his body?

While this made sense, he reasoned, he did order Sebastian to cook for him properly. He had three normal meals a day. But then he had never seen his servant eat, had he? An idea hit him like a flash of lightening.

Demons did not live on human food! He shuddered when he remembered the hints Grell was feeding him in disguise, probably mocking him.

He could still faintly hear the shuffling of feet and cloth ripping. Sebastian would be fine, but he had to figure out what exactly would improve his own situation. Suddenly, something silver embedded itself into the ground only centimeters from his nose. Aghast, he jerked backwards. At least his body had enough strength left for self-preservation.

His sight was clouded in black stars, but he could still make out the flutter of a tailcoat and the wide open red eyes pleading apologies. Then they shifted towards the curtains and hardened.

It must have been almost immediately after that. The sound of glass bursting made the boy shoot up sitting erect.

A piece of the mirror that used to stand in the corner of his study was thrown in front of his lap. The reflection of his father looked back up at him, apart from an eye-patch. A sense of dread entered the boy. This was too similar. He nervously fingered at the black cloth, gently tugging it out of the way.

This was real, he muttered. The whole thing. Just like he had dreamed in his nightmares his eye had turned from red to purple and back to its original blue. He was an exact copy of Vincent Phantomhive, of his impotent self.

Ciel could not take the sight anymore. Clenching the shard with a bleeding hand, he threw it a few meters away. The fact that he did not put more distance between his nightmare and person only proved how much physical strength he had left.

A muttering of several voices caught his attention. A large crowd of shadows had assembled in the room, amongst which Grell and Sebastian were still fighting, albeit the latter's obvious distraction.

Before a white clawed hand could encircle the noble's lithe form, the red eyed demon had abandoned the deadlock with his vigilant an scooped up the nearly lifeless boy.

A barely audible whisper tingled Ciel`s foggy mind. It was a voice he would know anywhere. "The moment I set you down, young master, I beg you to ignite the seal. Immediately!" he urged.

"uhmm" The younger man hated incoherent mumbling, but in his current state there was not too much he could do. Surely, Sebastian had a plan. So, complying willingly for the first time in his life, the moment a hard surface connected with his back, he forced out every single drop of magic into the picture he had drawn earlier.

Surely, his butler knew what to do. Surely, he could trust his beloved with all of his magic exhausted. Surely, they would be alright.

His eyes slid shut when the whole room was engulfed in violet light, before an explosion of blue flames wrapped around his body. Or where it had been.

* * *

There I go! I actually made it! I only took a week off, despite my busy schedule! And now I'm bringing you a relevation chapter! Haha, I also gave you an extra page or so, because all of you were so nice and waited for me! Thanks a thousand for your nice reviews, urging me to get my butt up! Also, let's celebrate the fact that this is the longest chapter I wrote for this story YET! amazing!

I will proceed as planned for the next chapter, so I'll try to post it next Friday! See you then!

Please leave a comment if you liked the story!


	8. Chapter 8

OC alert! It really is an OC this time, peopleZ!

* * *

Incentives – Chapter 8

A group of shadows circled in on them, but the smoke from the little fire he had started covered much of his sight. It spread out quickly, forcing its way into his lungs as if he was prey.

Ciel coughed and panicked more than during the fire in which he lost everything. His throat hurt, but it was impossible to stop.

When he had finally caught his breath a familiar reek assaulted his nose. The boy looked up to discern a blurred street lamp a few meters away. No way, he could be mistaken. He had indeed somehow come to London.

An inkling of insight occurred to him. Burning the seal must have been the door to the human world. But why of all places was he in London?

The answer dawned on him when he perceived a shadow behind the gloomy light. He must have been unconsciously summoned by some god forsaken foolish human. His suspicion confirmed when the shadows took the form of a shape leaning heavily over an edge.

He was standing on the Tower Bridge of London. The tower roofs rose majestically to the left and right of him. A chuckle escaped his throat when he recognized the broken shape of a man. Said figure turned around with a flinch, eyes wide, face pale. His lanky body had clearly suffered malnutrition if not starvation and bruises colored the majority of his skin.

From his human experience it was clear this man had lived a few years, to say the least, in prison; possibly the tower which laid only a few hundred meters to the west.

He used to feel disgusted at the filth of the place, too. Something about the air of deceit, hypocrisy in the aristocracy attracted him so much more than the low-life scums who get caught and stay for the rest of their lives in a rat cell.

The noble wrinkled his nose and scowled almost immediately afterwards. An aroma he had never felt before wafted into his direction. So it was not enough to be called the Queen's Dog in his life time, but he actually hunted like a dog now? How vulgar…

The boy sighed as he realized that the sweetness came from such decadent a man. He was also sure that this ability was restricted to demons. Humans definitely did not feel their taste.

Movement in the dark reminded him that he was standing about 50 meters above sea level. The figure had now climbed onto the ledge and drearily stared into the black gullet underneath them.

"That is a very bad idea, Mr."

Ciel smoothly pulled on the dirty jacket so that the befuddled human was sprawled underneath his scrutiny. The prisoner's bloodshot eyes had a shade of red that could have rivaled Sebastian's if he was any less perfect.

"Who- who are you?" fear started to reflect in his orbs.

"You may call me Cyril" He did not want to tell his prey his true name, nor even a last name. Sebastian had taught him a real name would hand over control to those who knew. He was not about to be controlled by scum, "I believe you have sent for me."

Before his stomach could cry out louder and ruin his game, and before the man could negate, he had jabbed a finger into the first patch of bare flesh he could find. To the victim's disdain it was his collar bone.

Warm blood seeped from the wound as Ciel gouged deeper perversely relishing in the sight of red liquid. He wished he could cheat and kill the creature right there, but he liked the aesthetics his tutor had taught him to honor.

As soon as he removed a bloody index finger, he sealed the wound with the palm of his hand. While the boy leisurely licked the blood off, unknowingly cat-like, his signature impregnated in a pale brown, similar to an old burn, on the otherwise pale skin in the reflection of his quarry's pupils.

"Wh- What did you do?" Fright clearly evident now, the prisoner pulled his withered coat over the newly branded emblem. He was not a slave.

"Just making sure you cannot run from me." The aristocrat mumbled still wondering how such degenerate man's blood could taste so sweet. His stomach only craved for more. "The terms of our contract are as follows:

In exchange for your soul, I will make sure to retrieve your past splendor, your honor among the deceivers, and possibly the trust of your close friend. I cannot exact revenge on someone who died of natural causes, but I will see to your wealth."

"H- How did you know?"

Ciel smirked. The instant a red drop landed on his small tongue, a sensation of incredible sweetness had passed over him. Within such flavor was encoded the entire misfortune of a man called Torquil Tabor, who lived by deceit.

Now, the demon child identified with deceit, had he not lived his life according to equal principles, but Torquil's sole income relied on persuading the upper echelon of skills he did not possess.

One day, looking for a new project, an old designer, possibly in his fifties had come across the poor soul's attempt to offer himself as a party planner and offered him work. The boy felt almost bored when, at this turnabout of his life, the man called Tabor became attached to the notion of an honest life, honest income and and an honest profession.

However, the story became much more interesting when their small business was commissioned to arrange the grandest wedding of the year. It was planned to be their first collaboration, and the unfortunate had upheld pretense to learn from a real organizer in practice at their first project.

A vicious giggle threatened to bubbled up his throat when the old man died in an accident leaving behind his hunted in his current state with a mountain of debt.

"I know everything, Mr." Ciel's sadistic nature loved being in control of this man's fate.

Seeing him cowering away from him, the newbie demon grabbed the other by the collar. Upon closer inspection, he looked about 25, not too old then. He was about to get more scared, and Ciel could not have his prey die on him because of something as avoidable as a heart attack.

Still holding on the whimpering criminal, he leaped onto the nearest roof top, trying to recall the street in which he had seen the old man's workshop.

After a while he noticed, to his pleasure, that the noise had stopped. Turning around, he decided that the person he had dragged across the river and at least 9 streets had fallen asleep from exhaustion.

In the silent night air he relished in the cawing of crows in addition to their flapping wings flying out of his way, just to follow his trail. The soft vibration of the air brought forth both calm and worry.

Calm, because he recollected the familiar noise from those thousand birds of night maneuvering around his mansion and anxiety at the ensuing memory of intruders, a cross-dressing shinigami and fighting against both of them, his protector.

"But at this point in time, it is your duty to follow the task laid before you." A satin voice replied to his thoughts.

* * *

I SO apologize or the delay!

It's 2am and I'm getting sick, yet I still finished the whole chapter in one freaking DAY! ( I started at 11:30pm!)

**-** Do check up on the meaning of "Cyril", Ciel's alias in this fic, and "Torquil Tabor" (This time it really IS an OC)!

**- **I have discovered the inspirational tunes of ikimono gakari! Check out her music, it's fantastic! Also on my playlist for this chapter was the Sweeney Todd OST! :)

**-** This is a temporary change in setting, I would almost call it a 2nd arc, so it will require some more planning. I'm in the process of adding the detail, tell me what you think of my idea!

If you care to hear my excuses: Well, on sunday the british railway had abandoned me in a different city because they CANCELLED my TRAIN! -_- wtf. But of course that is not sufficient. I was terribly busy, mostly, because this Friday (yes, THIS friday) my cheerleading team is participating in a COMPETITION! Woot! I'm so nervous, but so excited! Because of that, we've been practising EVERY day! All I do is go to class, practice and sleep. I can't even THINK of anything else. It consumed most of my social and academic life!

That is why, I'm late, and chances are, I will be slightly late next chapter as well, say 10 days :)

See you.

Don't forget to leave me a lovely note, or just tell me to get my butt moving!


	9. Chapter 9

Incentives – Chapter 9

"_But at this point in time, it is your duty to follow the task laid before you"_

Ciel hesitated a moment before leaping onto the next roof. Surely that was impossible. He had been absolutely sure Sebastian did not come back with him. He must only have been worried enough for his brain to come up with irrational solutions.

Tucked back in a corner near Sloane Square in the south west of London was a 40 square meters extravagant office. The man who called himself Cyril shook his head with a smile.

How many times did he stop by this very street, just to buy his servant's clothes after they had somehow managed to turn their previous uniforms into rags. But Sebastian's, he always had them tailored for what would a Phantomhive butler be, but impeccable.

Not surprisingly, the door had been left unlocked, allowing the demon to drag his new contractee inside. From all the years living by the moon, his eyes had long gotten used to opaque darkness. He didn't need to turn on the light. Rather, it would probably have counterproductive effects.

A set of stairs dictated the path to Torquil's and his deceased master's bedroom. He could not be happier getting rid of this excess baggage, until he realized that the contract was in effect, meaning he needed to make sure his "master" (though he would never voluntarily admit to this technicality).

A long sigh escaped his throat when he put away all the previous owner's belongings in a trunk and proceeded to decorate the room tastefully with Torquil's.

He hesitated another split second. Surely he had heard a hollow chuckle in the room. But when he looked up he could not pick up anyone else's aura besides the sleeping man's.

Even though, he was operating in superhuman speed, these 10 minutes were un-doubly the most laborious of his life. Sure, in human terms, he would still be surprisingly fast and neat. But even in demonic terms, Sebastian was almost double as efficient as he. The boy almost picked up another ghostly snicker at that thought.

Ciel was simply not used to manual labor. And he was certainly not tall enough to hang the curtain without jumping on a few pieces of furniture. Also, he was certainly not tall enough to change the curtains without jumping on a few pieces of furniture.

Finally, he dropped the thankfully still sleeping Torquil on his new four-post-canopy bed.

Thankfully, Sebastian had forced him to get into the habit of wearing a watch hooked to an Albert chain, according to English fashion. It was an hour past midnight.

This whole ordeal had definitely cost him quite a lot of his pride, but the thought of savoring the redolence of that soul kept him going. He sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he would be spending some time playing servant.

A wedding…

His victim's misfortune combined with his own replayed in his head, when he caught sight of a rose-colored envelope resting on the nightstand. The name on the envelope sounded very familiar indeed.

What a cruel twist of fate, he thought when he discovered the name of the sender.

_Dear Mr. Tanaka,_

_How are you? I was utmost sorry to hear of your retirement from the Phantomhive family, but I am sure that without its head present, there is little sense in futile upkeep. (Here, the paper appeared wavy, as if drenched, only on this spot, in water). Ciel-kun is lost to us forever…_

_On a happier note, I am soon to be married to the Leavold family. Since hearing of the establishment of your new business locale my future husband and I have decided to put our faith in an old friend. Please assist us in organizing our wedding in two fortnights._

_Best regards,_

_Elizabeth Middleford_

_.xxxx_

Suddenly his hand lost all its energy, refusing to face the reality that his task would constitute of arranging the wedding of his ex-fiancée as well as the death of his former head butler. Tanaka had essentially been like a second father to him.

Before the dark red letter fell out of his grip, he quickly folded it back into its case. It was dated almost two fortnights ago. There were only three days left.

Then, he proceeded downstairs to memorize his new environment. There would be enough food for breakfast and according to the note he found in the office beneath the stairs, Tanaka had started a little bit of planning already. On a paper strewn desk he discovered another pink letter. It revealed itself to be an invitation that his ex head butler had kept for himself:

_Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Middleford_

_And _

_Lord William Douglas Leavold_

_Request the honour of your presence at their marriage._

_On Friday, the xth of July_

_Eighteen Ninety Three _

_At Twelve Noon_

…

Reality really was not in his favor. Now he was slightly resenting the fact that he never went to any social parties. Most of his contacts had been within the trade and business community and he was careful not to waste energy on befriending characters not of use to him.

He could only vaguely remember a William Leavold, but as far as he knew it was a reputable family. Aunt Frances was an amazing woman to have found such a suitable replacement for him so quickly. Ciel did not know whether he should be happy or sad about that fact.

In any case, he knew everything about the bride. Enough, to cross out many things on the lists of arrangement Tanaka had made and replacing them with the favorites she used to keep blabbering about.

Somehow this filled the boy with pride.

At around 3 o'clock he exited the shop to breathe the night air on a bench in the middle of the square. Ciel used to hate dirty public benches, but the clouded dark sky above London gave him strange comfort right now.

"Ahh! Kukuku, is it not the Earl Phantomhive! Back from the Dead, aren't we?" An eerie voice cut through the silence.

Ciel's head snapped around. A silhouette, impossible to forget, manifested itself against the moonlight. With a giant scythe above his long silver hair, the Undertaker looked exactly the way he did 5 years ago.

_This cannot be a good omen. _

_

* * *

_

Phew! I actually published it! Please don't hate me for putting Sebastian to rest for a few chapters!

This is one of the things little Ciel just HAS to go through, or else nothing makes sense, and I'm actually quite happy I came up with this part of the story.

Now to my apologies! I'm human and I have a life. I spent the last week writing god-knows-what for homework and deadlines! -_- I didn't even have time to THINK about what to write. Thus, this chapter is shamefully short. But BEHOLD! next week is my VACATION! and you know what? That means extra long time to scheme, extra long time to write and yeah, EXTRA LONG chapters! :) I might finish the story by the end of April, too if I am productive enough.

Right now we have elections at my school. To be honest, I failed at Treasurer for one society, but at least I made Social Secretary (hence my busyness) for another and running for President of a third society TOMORROW haha, I'm so excited, but I pushed writing the speech in favor for this chapter and all you lovelies out there! (So I gotta think of something fast for tomorrow...) Besides, I was sick for the last 3 weeks. I don't honestly know how I'm still alive...

ok, whomever delighted this thin excuse for a chapter:

DARE to press the green button and give me a virtual hug! The sick me really needs your comments :D


	10. Chapter 10

Incentives - chapter 10

An antagonistic aura cost Ciel to tense in alert. His pulse raced in circles asking: "How did he find out?"

"Kukuku, that look of astonishment on your face is utmost amusing." The silver-haired death god had the audacity to comment.

In his characteristic slouch the Undertaker calmly sat down the bench next to the boy. His pale skin prickled with Goosebumps; so much that the invasion into his private space caused the younger to jump back up into an erect posture.

"My name is Cyril…What are you talking about?" He feigned innocence.

A hearty laugh, Ciel could never have imagined the other making followed. Now that he thought about it, it almost sounded like the booming laughter he used to hear outside the coffin shop.

After wiping off a tear from the corner of his eyes, the silver-haired man said: "Since the Earl bestowed me with such good laugh, I shall tell you some information…" his Cheshire cat smile returned.

"The Shinigami association has sent all its capable Shinigami to eradicate you and your butler, haha…" He looked at lovingly at the blade of his gigantic scythe.

A shot of panic rushed through the boy's veins. Could that possibly have been why Grell had attacked him? Or where all those shadows had come from? A horrible feeling nagged at him, when he imagined his servant solitude against this large a number of enemies. Sure, Sebastian was unbeatable, but was he also for hordes of Shinigami scum?

The undertaker's constant giggle did not help relieve his annoyance. "Your face has confusion written on it!" he exclaimed, before explaining: "My respects Earl, everyone had thought you had passed away. No wonder, seeing as how your demon butler had erased all evidence. But time gave you away…kuku"

"What do you mean by that?" The younger tried to retort as matter-of-factly as possibly, despite his burning curiosity.

"Your butler hasn't told you? Have you ever wondered why he decided to live so close to the human world despite the danger that his master would be discovered? I suppose he would be arguing in your head right now, but I believe his own family has shut him up. Now, if I were you, I would hurry up and seek him out."

With that, his dead pale fingers brushed off some form of white residue on his black coat and he stood up.

"W-What? I demand an explanation! Is that why Grell attacked me? What is going on?" Ciel did not care that he sounded like a child at this moment. He just needed answers, especially in regards of the person that could not be with him.

"If you came to kill me, why have you not done so?"

Another muffled laughter followed. "I can't miss out on all the fun, can I?"

Suddenly, the creepy noises faded into silence. Sighing air he did not know he was holding, Ciel took one last glance at the London night sky before re-entering his new master's premises.

At this rate, he really did have to finish his task superhumanly fast.

After sorting everything that was left to do, and checking on the sleeping figure of Torquil (He reminded himself of his mentor while doing so), the boy finally entered his own chamber.

Needless to say, he was not very impressed by it. He did not want to think the notion that it might have been Karma.

The mint-green wallpaper was in the process of fading away and there was only one chest of drawers for clothes.

The most notable piece of furniture, nay the only furniture worth noting was a simple oak wood single bed. In comparison to the rest of the room, it had been kept neatly. It was not the best quality wood, Ciel had wished for, but it showed respect for an assistant nonetheless.

What attribute came worst in this room was clear to him the moment he turned around to examine it. There were no windows.

There was a reason, Ciel avoided crowds, and there was a reason he did not like to be touched. Ugliness here and there, that was barely tolerable, but without space to breathe air, the paranoia of being caught and preyed upon was greater than never before.

He bit his lip. It was a nasty habit, but there was a difficult decision in whether to close the door or not. In the end, he sighed, closing the door behind him. There was no way Sebastian would have put his own comfort before his aesthetics. He could choose another time to be self-indulgent. Besides, privacy was probably more important than his fears. The demon apprentice chuckled when the notion that he might have gotten used to fright in the face of recent events.

He slowly sat onto the bed's grey linens, contemplating what had been said to him. If it was true that all Shinigamis were out looking for them, then they must have been extremely understaffed. If it was Ciel, he would have taken the first moment of confusion to attack his target. He sighed in alleviation that nobody assaulted him and his charge at the tower bridge.

Despite the overwhelming disadvantage against his servant he had witnessed when they parted, something in his gut assured him that the other was safe. Maybe it was trust, or maybe it was an uncanny clairvoyant ability.

Breakfast had gone well except the dozen broken eggs and black sausages. Cooking for the first time in his life, it was a considerable achievement that Ciel could serve Torquil breakfast at 8am in the morning.

He even found himself an appropriate suit that would not stand out too much, yet was appropriate. That part was, unsurprisingly, a lot more enjoyable than culinary arts. Such things should be left to Sebastian to perfect.

Cutting the deadline really short this time, he had simply instructed his master to relax in bed, for fear he would interrupt the boy's tight schedule. This way, he did not have to worry about inefficient glitches in his fabulous plan.

Who would have thought that such disruptions were fated upon Ciel either way? When after long hours of tedious housework he swore he was not meant to do. The boy cleaned himself up to order the wedding cake for his client, only to run into much too familiar faces.

Of course, in honor of Lizzy, he knew that any pastry less qualified than Funtom's own festivity cakes would not satisfy her. Therefore, he had made extra effort to scoop a few sweets here and there from old rival and promising new bakeries.

His own breath almost choked him when he, out of pure curiosity, decided to see how the main branch in central London had devolved over the years of his absence. Instead of the imaginary moss, hanging damaged plate, his old property was shining just as much as it did in its heyday.

Children ran in and out, as he had often seen them doing in his days. Windows were stocked with all kinds of new bonbons he had sketched but never had chance to realize. In wonder, the boy stepped onto the wooden stairs leading into the inside of such wonderland.

"How may I help you, sir?" A kind brunette greeted him. It sure was noisy, but it reminded him of the childhood he never had when he looked upon the merchandise.

"I would like to speak to the manager, please." Though trying to sound as authoritative as possible, a ghost of a smile shone through.

Out of the shadows of the staff room, he had designed himself, bounced a merry man. A tan man that wore purple hair and colorful clothes followed by a taller, equally bronze man in white hair, and more discreet garb.

Let the fun begin, indeed.

* * *

Worry not! I have not deserted my faithful readers! I thank you soooo much for your lovely reviews, and I'm utmost devastated I couldn't reply to them, but I will do so asap! :D (Even if they were written to me in the Stone Age).

This chapter was against all expectations, kind of hard to write! I hope next chapter will be lots better. I don't know why, but I feel my body has become weaaaak... I've been sick way too often recently, and technically I'm still sick.. -_- have mercy on my body, fanfics!

Oh well, they fun really IS getting started :D The ending is still not set in stone, but I already love what's coming up in the next chapter! As promised, I'll try to upload the next one earlier than planned! It's Easter holidays, afterall!

Drop me a comment if you fancied the story, you WILL get a response! 333


	11. Chapter 11

Incentives – Chapter 11:

"And how may I help you most honorable custome- ….C-ciel? B-but I thought…" The sound of dull thumping let Ciel assume that he had dropped whatever he was holding.

The man in front of him, though a few years older, had retained his usual humorous tone as befit for a toy company's manager. It was uncomfortable to be scrutinized while watching his purple haired friend turn his head askew similar to an owl.

Just when the customer had prepared himself to negate such exclamation or fear of a misunderstanding, the other turned on his heel, tears flowing from his eyes like rivers.

"Agni! Agni! I told you so! I told you Sebastian was lying! Ciel is alive! He is right here in the shop!" He dragged at the sleeves of his more mature looking servant, who less helpfully had an equal glimmer of liquid in his eyes.

Ciel found himself forced to back off the stairs to the counter as both of them emerged in lighting speed, probably ready to envelope him in a bear hug.

"I have no idea what you are talking about! My name is Cyril, I am here on orders of my master to order a cake! I cannot believe your notion of customer service!" he yelled as sternly as possible while his back hit one of the wooden shelves.

If he was not so concerned about being found out, he would have laughed at the instant freeze in mid-air both of them performed. Instead, he managed to disguise a chuckle as scoffing.

The disappointment was evident. So much, so that for the first time in a long while his heart felt as if it was being wrung out. But he was not feeling so because of his own troubles. Watching his old acquaintances grieving so heavily actually brought something akin to compassion forth his strict business sense. It had been the reason why he had refused to discuss any departure gifts or ceremonies in honor of his "death".

"O-oh. I'm deeply sorry! You..uhm…look very familiar to how a friend ours would have looked like…" his voice seemed to fade into a sob at the end of the sentence.

But before long, he managed to hastily plaster a sad shadow of a smile on his features. Agni, on the other hand better trained, simply assumed his stoic endeavor.

"So, what would you like, Mr. Cyril?" Nevertheless he could not stop a shadow flicker over his expression when he realized the similarity in name.

"I am here by orders of Mr. Torquil Tabor for the wedding arrangements of Miss Elizabeth Midford. I trust you know the importance of this matter? It will be the grandest social event this year!" He felt a little hypocritical slamming his frail fists on the counter to emphasize his point. It looked so much easier when those low-class idiots demonstrated it in his parlor. He regretted his over accurate portrayal of the social class he needed to act in when his hand throbbed in pain.

The shine in the other's eyes returned a little when he mentioned his ex-fiancée's name. At last, a voice in his mind seemed to resound.

"Don't worry! I have everything worked out already! It was only a matter of time until the wedding planner of the biggest wedding asks the best bakery in England for the best wedding cake!" by this point his eyes were shining and he had motioned his butler to hand him.

It turned out to be a large sketch of probably the largest layer chocolate cream cake he had seen. The colors still only constituted of black and white, but doubtless long hours of work and planning had gone on it. It was a masterpiece that Ciel himself could hardly done better.

"Just between you and me: I actually know Miss Elizabeth! I planned this ever since … the slightest rumors that she was seeing someone…"

Even though he had clearly edited the last part, Ciel could not help but feel sorry for his old friend.

"That is exactly the quality I was looking for. I trust you with this order, Mr.?" he raised one delicate eyebrow purposefully. It pained him to ask for his name again. That would be their third introduction…

"Please just call me Soma!" he interrupted his servant's protest with a glare, "Agni here will personally see to the success of this design. Have a great day!"

Watching the white-haired man bow in compliance out of the corner of his eyes, Ciel turned to leave, when a thought struck him.

"Your deceased friend… how did he…die?" It was an uncomfortable question, whose answer he might not even get. As expected a heavy atmosphere spread through the room almost instantaneously.

"…a terrible accident occurred when he went to visit the Trancey family at their estate. It was the last we had seen of him… They say he drowned…"

Surprised, the one-eyed man turned around. If he had not warn his bangs long, and continued using his eye-patch, it would have been a dead give-away. However, death by drowning came dangerously close to what actually happened.

"What about the body, have they found it?" he said in a panicked voice.

"According to Sebastian, ah- that was his butler, who disappeared- it was lost to the ocean…"

There was an awkward silence: "…ahh...Thank you for telling me. It must be hard on you. Well, then I will see you on the morning of the festivity…"

This time Ciel could already hear the ringing of the shop bells as he pulled the door ajar, when he noticed a presence behind him. It was Agni.

"Master Soma asked me to give these to you. Please visit his grave in my master's stead. He has not been there since the funeral because he was too busy running Funtom instead of his friend. You should find it at the cemetery closest to here. His name was: Ciel Phantomhive."

It was the first time, Ciel noticed emotion that was not directly linked to Soma in Agni's tenor voice. And it was also the first time, he had heard the other utter such a long string of coherent sentences.

Dutifully and solemnly he took the bouquet of flowers offered to him and finally exited into a buzzling afternoon street, mumbling "I will".

It was barely a twenty minute ride in the carriage when he sighted the sharpened roofs of what un-doubly was the very same church he had put Madame Red to rest. On intuition he jumped off (that he had finally gotten the hang of) his vehicle and made his way towards his late family member's grave.

It was merely a track of five minute before he stood in front of a simple grey headstone proclaiming Angelina Durless.

Cemeteries no longer gave him an eerie feeling. They had not particularly bothered him even when he was human, but since turning into a demon it had become his everyday normality. It was in the demon world nothing but decoration brought forth by their amusement for human folk tales. It was no different from a sofa or a table.

But this time he knew that the bones of his aunt laid underneath the tones of earth; bones, that he had seen himself when she was cut right in front of him. He shuddered at that thought.

His eyes wandered until they met the inscription on the stone next to his current point of interest. The thumping in his heart became erratic. Indeed, right in front of him was edged into elegant marble, his very name. If he was not spooked before, reading his name on his own tombstone gave him an ice cold feeling. It just did not feel right.

He half wanted to bust the monument himself. It would not take more than a few formulas, if any, anyway, even though he was almost out of magic.

Nevertheless, that would have been too conspicuous. Instead, he clumsily placed the bundle of flowers onto the earth under which laid probably an empty coffin. (He grimaced at the laugh the undertaker must have had at his expense when manufacturing the casing).

By law he was not allowed to be discovered, or else it would throw the whole dimension into imbalance, not to mention the prosecution he was sure to have to deal with.

"_They don't really care if the general population breaks the rules, it is just the nobility that has to watch themselves…_"

Grell's words echoed through his mind. Could he, despite all that happened, still trust in the information given to him by the eccentric red-head?

But if that was true, then how come the Shinigami association was ordered to persecute them, and why?

Sitting by the willow tree nearby to dodge the bleary wind did not help refresh his mind from what tangled mess he was thrown into. The undertaker had mentioned that he should find Sebastian at the palace as soon as possible. That would be the first step of action Ciel would have to fulfill. Everything else could and probably would have to come later.

The sound of a chainsaw gave him nanoseconds to jump onto the nearby tree to witness the destruction of the earth beneath where he had been standing before. It dawned on him whose weapon it could only be.

Sure enough, the next attack was followed by the fluttering of a red coat. It had not even been a day since he was warned that he would be attacked and Grell was already at it. The redhead had never been this efficient at work. He had always given the impression of a laid back character that would slack off as soon as the opportunity arises. It did not suit his character to jump to action the way he did.

"I have never known you to be a zealous character." The boy chuckled.

Despite being the focus of continuous slashes with a deadly machine, he could not avoid provoking his opponent. As response he only received a tongue clicking. And of course the slashes only became more violent, though now they were easier to avoid. He had Sebastian to thank for this kind of strategy, he thought while jumping onto the closest roof.

"You! Why can't you just stay where you are! You are just as guileful as they come! How dare you even think you could stay with Sebas-chan! After I even perfected my flawless acting skills to keep you away from him, you actually dare to get swayed? He does not deserve you!"

It was the longest and loudest speech Ciel had heard the other ever say, not to mention they were proper words, even though they were marked by several sobs and contradiction. It was time to launch a counter attack.

However, even though his dodging abilities had greatly improved (it was the first thing Sebastian pounded into his demonic physique), his powers lay definitely with magic, and his physical offensive skills were close to non-existent. But right now, whenever he even thought of using magic, his stomach would crunch together and revolt in pain. So that was not an option. Besides, he secretly believed Sebastian was not exceptionally talented in physical attack either, or else he would not have taught him so many ways to avoid and use the other's powers.

Oh right…

It had also always been his strength to calmly analyze the situation and let someone else act out his master plan. Now he had no other choice but to act them out himself.

Before he could get hit once again, a high jump allowed him to step on long tress of the red coat his enemy had stolen from his aunt. Clearly, his guilt nagged at him, but his life was currently more important. His stunt effectively stopped Grell's momentum, enough for the shinigami to choke to death. This gave Ciel a split second to kick the death tool into its demise in the river Thames. A loud and long moan followed this action: "my scyyyythee…"

He was still standing on the other, but now he had moved on to putting his weight onto his opponent's head, the way his butler had always done.

Ciel smirked what must be the creepiest smile all his adversaries had seen:"Now tell me, why everyone is out for my life and what you people did with Sebastian!"

"I refuse to tell you anything! And I refuse to accept your idiotic prophecy. I would never hurt Sebas-chan. Those guards betrayed him and dragged him off to their king…" It would be way too late when Grell finally realized he had unintentionally given his antagonist enough information.

His heart thumped from the adrenaline shooting through his system, and the information he had received. It just made the mystery even larger, and thus more interesting…

A short scrutinizing of the man pressed against roof tiles until his cheeks molded into the same shape caused him to be content dragging his still whimpering victim to tie the complaining idiot onto the closest high altitude post.

"The solution lies at the palace, huh…" he murmured while disappearing into the London fog.

* * *

I bow before you guys! You are soo great to read my stories, but I have neglected you! :( I'm sooooo sorry, and I have NO excuses! I could only make it up by publishing this extra long chapter!

I also have to announce that my finals are coming up soon and I have to study extra hard! (I have my summer vacation to lose), but I will try to continue to upload regularly!

Furthermore, I sized up the length of this story, and we're looking at one more chapter until the climax! and in total I am planning 4 more chapters (including the next one), so we're almost there! I hope you will continue to give me your support!

Leave a comment if you like! *hugs*


	12. Chapter 12

WARNING: 5x the length of a regular chapter! Sorry, I got too into it!

Incentives – Chapter 12

"Ciel!" her annoyance instantly turned into shock, throwing even her perfectly made up face into complete disarray. As if punched in the face, addressed boy stumbled backward, behind the next corner. His hands unconsciously moved to cover his face, a reaction to the panicky racing in his heart.

He had only thought of seeing her again after all these years, but before he could even sneak a peek she had surprised him with her outburst. She must have seen his reflection on his mirror. Now that he thought about it, his anticipation probably came before his rational mind. What in the world possessed him to actually check up on the bride before the wedding, when he was trying to avoid her recognizing him? Oh right, he had become her wedding planner.

A long sigh escaped him.

Before she had chance to stand up and find him, he brushed a hand over his hair before smoothly moving back to her makeup room. He hated being like this, especially to his childhood friend.

"I'm sorry? My name is Cyril, I was Mr. Tanaka's assistant. I came to check on you." If he had not forced himself to straighten his voice it would definitely have come up in dry clots, but he was practiced in the art of lie.

Oh I see, she mumbled.

Lizzy's voice sounded slightly shaken. Her expression immediately fell into disappointment. But up front Ciel could hardly believe his eyes looking at his ex-fiancée in a white wedding dress, her long blonde hair tied into an elaborate bun. A characteristic pink flower bundle accentuated her hair. Her delicate face brought to a healthy glow made him wonder if she would have looked as beautiful had things gone as planned.

"Well, it seems to me that the lady is very well prepared. I just came by to evaluate our progress for your big day..." Ciel trailed off when he noticed an exceptionally cold stare at the back of his neck. When he turned around the first thing he had thought was _Aunt Frances!_ Indeed the now middle-aged noblewoman stood right at his back, a characteristic frown at the ready.

"I can't believe young men these days, the hair all over their faces, clothes in complete disorder..." she lamented as she stepped past him. "Elizabeth! I am such a happy mother, now that you finally decided to see reason! Here is a present from me. " From a satin box she had held under her arm, Ciel's aunt procured the most gallant tiara Ciel had seen in his life. Granted, he did not visit most social events he was invited to; nevertheless this piece of jewellery could not have cost less than a fortune.

It was amusing watching his old friend's face light up immediately. He could almost feel his own lips pull up, if it was not for the glare her mother shot at him from across the room. Carefully he stepped back. "Excuse me..."

He had almost forgotten the principal purpose of his visit when he stumbled upon the large bouquet of white, pink and red carnations that he had deposited in a neighbouring room, wondering if she really would love them. He had never noticed her particularly interested in the rose garden in his manor (that had been more Sebastian's thing), but she had always told him how she liked the 'fluffiness' of his carnations.

One of the first things he had done after sealing the new contract was to run over to Phantomhive mansion to check out his old home. To his surprise, it seemed like his dwellings had remained untouched. There was even light inside and as if he had never left. However, he was sure that the mansion had not changed owners or else the back garden would not still look like wasteland from Finny's experiments. It must be his servants keeping up the house then. At least they had a nice place to stay now, Ciel sighed.

The trip lasted only about one hour at the speed at which Ciel plucked flower to flower from a corner of his garden that had survived the rampage and leaped through the night back to London. Sure, he pricked himself endless times with the needle and cut himself with the knife while wrapping the loose plants artistically into a bouquet, but the wound would not persist for more than a few seconds before it closed itself. After a while it receded simply into a painful routine. Curse his clumsiness, thank God for demon abilities.

With his work of art in his hand, the boy once again stepped into Lizzy's dressing room. "Anyway! How dare a man, even if he be the wedding planner's assistant dare to look at a bride before she is ready! Such impropriety..." his aunt had not ceased complaining ever since he left.

"Your bouquet is ready, my lady." He bowed before entering. A warm feeling of confidence flooded his chest when he recognized her green eyes wide in wonder at the flower arrangement. Even Aunt Frances could hardly believe her eyes. "Actually, my master had asked me to hand it over to you, so you may be well prepared. Your bridesmaids have received theirs as well."

"Thank you..." she answered breathlessly.

"I am but a mere messenger." Ciel nodded politely before turning to leave the premises. After about ten minutes he arrived at the back gardens of the Middleford estate. The nostalgic building had retained much of its strict charm over the years and he found that he still knew his way around.

How many years had it been now? Seven or maybe ten years?

It felt oddly wrong to dress his new contractee for the bug occasion. Ciel could hardly imagine how Sebastian's eyes could remain straight on his face when he dressed him. He really should not have thought about it, because his conclusion could only have been self-destructive. The reason could only be that his servant must either have very stealthy observation techniques or was simply not interested. Ciel's heavy bet was on the latter. How depressing, he thought.

On the other hand, Torquil could not stop curiously looking at his new apparel, while Ciel tried to force his eyes to stare into space. That way he did not need to feel the tinge of searing pain at the back of his head.

Though Torquil offered to help with the organisation, in the end Ciel had only let him take the plans to the suppliers with a letter of instruction written by the younger. Actually the demon acted quite more on the behalf than his master, mostly because he tended to wallow in self-pity and despair in his room.

"Please remember not to drink excessively. You are Mr. Tanaka's pupil and inheritor, and I am your assistant. I have also taken the freedom to invite your former friends." Ciel smirked at his opposite's shocked expression.

When they finally arrived an hour before the actual start of the party, just to check if everything was in order, his partner could do nothing but gape. He must have not been familiar with Phantomhive's impeccable service. Of course its head would be just as tasteful when he had to make arrangement largely by himself. The difference lied in the time it took the boy. Compared to the few hours it would have taken Sebastian, Ciel grudgingly admitted.

He did not expect however, to be tackled by an overly hyper Indian prince and a just-as hyper gardener.

"Mr. Cyril/Master Ciel!" A shudder ran rippled down his bones. Who had called him by his name? And why on earth would Soma still tackle him after he allegedly "died"?

"I am not called Ciel! Why do people keep calling me that?" He faked offense with as much dignity as a man wrestling on the grass floor could. "huh?" Two of the arms instantly let go as if burned by a flame, while annoyingly, the other did not. Not even when he recovered.

"Would you mind?" He raised an eyebrow. After all "he" did not "know" that Soma was a prince, hence did not need to be stately polite.

Soma gave a nod to Ciel's master before turning back to his new victim. "I am so hurt! We understood each other so well at the cake shop that I thought a lasting friendship had been born! I just couldn't help myself" he whined in mock-hurt.

The second assaulter remained quiet for some time. When Ciel turned around he immediately recognized the large frayed straw head and the loose often-times dirty white shirt and chequered pants. He thought he witnessed a small amount of liquid dropping on the grass, but it had not been raining, and would not for the rest of the night. Yet when his ex-gardener looked up an almost usual cheerfulness beamed at him.

"I am very sorry, Mr. ... ("Cyril" Soma informed smart-alecky)...Cyril! You look very much like my former master Mr. Ciel. He was a very close friend to the lady Elizabeth, but unfortunately he passed away... I thought it could not be true and when I saw your astounding likeness, I got carried away." The boy looked genuinely ashamed.

"So I have been told." Ciel actually cracked a smile, just so he could make sure not even his servant would think of the possibility of a connection.

By the time, he had been re-introduced to his whole group of former servants (who had done remarkably well in sticking together), he came to know that they were the ones keeping his villa in array. They had never truly believed that he was gone, even though Ciel had instructed Sebastian to hand them his farewell gift. One side of him actually felt touched, while the other thought them fools. He really needed reproach Sebastian regarding that matter.

Guests trickled in one by one, many from glamorous carriages to be lead to the back garden, gasping in wonder. Everyone commented on the dreamy romantic setting created by the wedding planner. Satisfaction cruised through Ciel's system whenever he heard words of praise on his work, but even more-so when watching Torquil's abashed reactions when word got around he was the wedding planner.

More often than not, however the young Phantomhive noticed curious stares from young girls around his age while he rigidly stood at the entrance serving the champagne reception. Many of them were exceptionally adorned. It was the party of the year. Half an hour into the evening his contractee's demeanour turned from uneasy to haughty, just in time when his "friends" arrived.

This community of felons on the run had put their best effort into looking presentable. However up against the noble classes of high society, they merely looked like peasants in Sunday dress. I only served to boost his confidence. Ciel could not care less. Whether there were people out of place that were looked down upon by the rest of established guests or not did not matter. Most importantly, the more amazed they were, the more privileged would his charge feel, the better job he will have done. He just needed to avoid them causing trouble...

Talking about trouble, his brain cried, when a familiar (way-too-familiar) man signed himself "Viscount Druitt" at the entrance. Why in the world did she even invite this person? An uncontrollable shudder escaped him when he stared directly into his eyes; his head cocked to one side. "Surprisingly you look like my little robin!" he purred.

"Chrm, next please. Would you like a glass of champagne?" Ciel simply asked the next person in the line.

There must have been around two hundred people in the garden, dresses of all types caused awws and ahhs from various guests, including Elizabeth, who arrived soon afterwards.

She was like a star floating in in a white coloured gown. It was a different design from the one this morning that she had worn to the church. Her arm was linked with the other; a man Ciel could only vaguely recall. But there remained no doubt: it must have been William.

The groom appeared in a festive dark grey tailcoat, accompanied by finely sown silver-lined pants and a same coloured top-hat. An ostentatious pink boutonniere made up of two camellias clung to his heart in accord with his feelings and his wife's flowers. Ciel cringed internally at this thought. For some reason it hurt his feelings to know that so soon after his departure she would have found his replacement. He had always simply assumed she would stay in love with him forever, that she would be sort of reserved for him. But now that her attention was decidedly not entirely on him, he felt not little forlorn. If only Sebastian was here...

The reality that he was standing in a room full of people that would never know it was him along with his ex-wife-to-be with another man and without the love of his life hit him like a sudden flash of lightning. It knocked the breath out of his lungs. Or maybe it was the fact that at midnight it would be his birthday and the last of his magic reserves had been used in keeping the weather as clear as it was on this day.

A cruel throbbing felt like several hard pinches into his abdomen. Not again...

He supported himself with one hand on the table behind him, breathing hardly. Without him knowing pearls of sweat had manifested along his temples. His vision blurred slightly.

Fortunately a helping hand soon relieved the heavy tray of champagne glasses from his gloved hands, while slender fingers rested on his shoulders.

"Are you alright Mr. Cyril?" A concerned voice reached out to him.

His upper body immediately shot up at the recognition. His dark blue eye met her bright green ones. She had just changed into a petal pink dress for the first dance. Her eyes looked so confused and sad at the same time looking at him. They did not portray the twinkling they had when she gave her speech in front of her guests at the beginning of the evening.

Her face may have matured into that of a beautifully refined lady, and her demeanour had calmed down, but her eyes still managed to display her emotions like an open book. Unable to move, Ciel watched as she absentmindedly stretched her left arm towards his face. Only seconds before she managed to lift his bangs in order to see his right eye, he realized her design and quickly grabbed her hand. It was a shock on both sides. Gently, however, he put her fingertips on top of his hair that covered his mismatched eye.

Had he still have enough magic power, he would not have to intervene, but simply put her under an illusion. But bewitching people that were important to him, somehow went against his aesthetics. This was a lot better a solution.

"I was in an accident. It took everything from me. I would rather not have my lady see it..." he explained melancholically. (He never said his aesthetics did not allow him to lie.)

Oh, she whispered, taken aback. "I wanted to thank you. So I brought you this from the house. It was supposed to be a present to Ciel, you know, but I think it will look just as amazing on you." Her face lit up a soft pink when she attached a royal blue rose boutonniere just next to his chest pocket. It completely matched the dark blue-black striped tailcoat and navy bow he wore for the occasion.

She stepped back to observe her work. "You look so much like him. The heavens must be making me a wedding present full of thorns." She sighed.

"Honey, you are making the guests wait. We have to lead the first dance right?" A smooth voice tore both characters back into reality. Now that he took off his top hat, Ciel could make out a tuft of light blonde hair, almost so light one could classify it as white. His mahogany eyes were staring at his own accusingly. I have seen everything, they seemed to relay. Little did Lord William know, his wife was nowhere near danger.

"This is Mr. Cyril, Will. He is our wedding planner!" Elizabeth interjected.

"Was that not Mr. Torquil?" William raised an eyebrow.

"I am merely his assistant." Ciel lied smoothly, not with a little provocation of course. This would just be too fun to miss. He ignored the little twinge in the back of his head that could easily have been his conscience. Maybe Sebastian's ways had rubbed off on him..."But you are very lucky sir, to have scored such a beautiful and elegant lady, only a few months after her fiancé passed away. To the other's disdain he took hold of a furiously blushing Elizabeth's hand and softly pressed his lips on top of her fingers. "Pink has always suited her."

He simply left the words hanging in the air, watching the groom's expressions turn several shades of various colours in less than a minute.

He never felt anything, and the pain in his stomach only lessened because he was having fun playing with someone's sanity, when he touched her. And even after she broke eye contact with him, he still felt as empty as before, smirking at his new toy. Now that is one demonic habit...

The ex soon bowed and signalled the newly-weds towards the anticipating crowd.

Finally William's face settled into something akin to dignified highly offended before forcefully leading his wife amidst the crowd with a frown.

Ciel laughed to himself. Half in hysteria, and half because he had missed the verbal war he would always fight with all those underhanded underground business folk he used to deal with on a daily basis. It was somehow relieving him. No one really knew it was him here anyway, it gave him enough space to have a little fun. After all it was his birthday soon, and he only needed to ensure Torquil felt his success. The contract was to 90% in the bag anyway. The remaining 10 he would have to get later that night.

The boy felt happy watching the couple sway in circles. He remembered the last times he was forced to learn how to dance. Despite the horror that a tutoring Sebastian could induce, and the disgust that a Viscount Druitt can incur, he was glad he understood enough of dancing to appreciate the beauty of their movements. A few minutes after the band started playing, other couples joined and the floor was soon covered in twirling couples. Contendly, Ciel settled onto a chair to watch, making sure to sit as far away from the woman-encircled Viscount as possible. He really did not need to hear "robin" every again in his life. A few females dared to sit within the vicinity of a few metres and even asked him questions from time to time. But whenever they begged for a dance he politely declined. Dancing to random strangers was definitely restricted to a job-necessary basis.

"Kukuku... Good Evening, Earl Phantomhive! Or should I say Assistant Cyril instead?" This voice always gave him the creeps. The selection process for this guest list would probably remain a secret to him forever.

"Undertaker! Why are you here?" He asked slightly disinterested, but on edge nonetheless. He had certainly announced to be non-partial in the "game", but who knew what shinigami could be up to after he took out Grell.

"I am a legitimate guest! Who do you think was the one responsible for this whole thing to happen?" He sounded almost offended. "You know, I was really excited how the rotten body of a soul like yours would look like... keke, you know they all look different...('must be something about the food')...alas, when I was just about to dig your coffin up to check on the progress of decomposition, Ms. Elizabeth came by and asked me to check whether your body was actually inside! Hmm, that was curious...I think you are very well loved for them to deny what Sebastian has told them..." He trailed off...

"Lizzy does not know it is me!" Ciel whispered loudly.

The undertaker (dressed for the first time in a neat suit) cocked his head as if he was trying to remember. "Well, the moment I found it devoid of any corpse I counted two and two together...I was so looking forward to the state of your body too..." To Ciel's disturbance the man looked genuinely broken-hearted. "I told her you were sleeping peacefully inside...the next day the papers announced Leavold's and Middleford's grand wedding." The older man snickered, while watching Ciel's shocked expression.

It consoled him greatly that she made sure of his death before deciding to accept Lord Leavold's proposal. It must have been indeed very difficult for her. He had not noticed that he pulled a frown until Undertaker spoke up.

"Should I have told her you were kidnapped by the prince of demons?" The slight widening of the other's eyes, betrayed his cool exterior, when Ciel scrutinized the death god. Both of them knew that this information was supposed to be kept secret.

"Will is soooo going to kill me...hahaha!" Undertaker wheezed, before shrugging his shoulders. "Nah, I can always pull rank on him..." He looked curiously at the still frozen Ciel. One could positively hear the gears click into place.

"...are you saying Sebastian is...one of the demon princes? So the people that were after him..."

"He is _the_ demon prince and those were his father's guards to take him home. He is in big trouble because of you."

Ciel handed the man a glass of wine to make sure he kept information flowing.

"He did not want to return. Probably because he discovered your powers. He could overthrow the whole country...keke...that's what Will thinks anyway, so Grell offered his help..." he took a sip from the blood-red beverage. "I am the arbitrator..."

The urgent need for more information and the frustration from having to squeeze it out of a person that was no different from drunk when sober in addition to the rising pain in his stomach area made the room spin in several directions.

"Where is he now?" Ciel panted.

"Well, home I suppose... you'll probably end up dead beforehand though. There is no way back into the demon world let alone the palace if you are not anchored, which you are clearly not, seeing the state of your clothes. That even saves me the effort of choosing between forever restricting your magic or killing you on the spot..." he slurred.

"Mr. Cyril! Do you need a doctor?" Again, it was Lizzy that approached him.

"No! Fine. I am just fine... I was just...Would you do me the honour to dance with you my lady?" Barely after he finished his question a feeling of dread ran over him. Had he actually voluntarily asked for a dance?

The slight tinge of pink matched her breathtaking third crème colored dress this evening. Hesitantly she put her hand into his.

Ciel was acutely aware of the whole female guest population glaring daggers at his partner, but even more of the unspoken warning shot at him by her new husband from across the room. He smirked. Nevertheless, Lizzy seemed happily oblivious, as if it was one of her talents.

At that moment the band pitched a Viennese waltz. Thanking God, or whoever was responsible for the music for playing a piece from his limited repertoire, he led her into centre-stage.

For the first minute or so it seemed like the whole room had stopped talking and watched them dance. Neither dancer broke the silence. Ciel was too occupied recalling Sebastian's lesson on Waltz.

"Are you related to the Phantomhive family, Mr. Cyril?" she inquired timidly.

"huh?" The boy replied distractedly: "No...it is my first time here. Mr. Torquil picked me up and raised me in London from when I lost my family..."

The clock at the back of the room caught his attention. Hardly a full hour was left until the end of this night that seemed more like a dream.

"I am very sorry... I do not know why I ask so much of you. It is just that Mr. Cyril has the same qualities...you make me want to tell you 'it will be alright'. You walk with a heavy burden and you look in pain." She was speaking to "both of them" at the same time. She lowered her head:"I failed to make the only person I love smile. I failed to save him." She looked up and her smile was bitter as if something immensely acerbic ate away at her.

"My lady, why have you gotten married?" She looked at him perturbed. "It is to be happy, is it not? Today is supposedly the happiest day in your life. He has passed and I can assure you, you have not failed. How could you have with your pretty personality? You should be happy with your husband. I am sure he has given you his blessing."

It was soon evident that this was the last dance before the end of the party. Guests were gathering to retrieve their coats and Ciel read only a quarter of an hour before his birthday.

This would be his last time dancing or seeing him. He might not have been hearing Sebastian's voice anymore, but he was sure the pressing headache was some kind of sign that further engagement with this woman was clearly unwelcome. As the crescendo set in, he pulled into a last twirl near her spouse. Looking at her eyes, he leaned forward, whispering into her ear.

"Thank you, Lizzy..."

Dazed, she turned and looked over her husband's shoulder, but the man who called himself Cyril had disappeared among the throngs of leaving guests.

"It is time, master..." Ciel announced impatiently.

Torquil, still waving goodbye to his admirers, turned around to face him.

"So soon?" he sounded dejectedly.

"I have already extended your life for a few weeks... you have achieved recognition. I have completed my part of the contract. It is time to complete yours." The demon pressed gravely.

His prey sighed in defeat: "Lead the way!"

"It is more comfortable than the gallows." Ciel mused to ease the tension. He had an idea and clutching the fountain pen he had found in his chest pocket the first night, he made their way towards the water fountain at the back of the gardens.

"Well, I guess this is it. Do I just sit?" The other inquired solemnly.

"Be quiet." The demon sounded crankier than ever. There were only a few minutes left until midnight, and he was not sure how long this process would take. Besides, the pain from before the dance had not receded but aggregated. He remembered that this man had begun as a prisoner.

Roughly, he freed his victim's collarbone from cloth, while recommending the obliging man to close his eyes like a patient before a vaccination.

Using the never-drying fountain pen he had used to create his symbol he first noted the formula to travel across dimensions onto a parchment he prepared. He would burn it later.

Then, with the utmost concentration, and ignoring his greedy hunger, he carefully poked a whole into the circle line of the mark he had left on the pale collarbone. A painful groan of the other encouraged him to go on in confidence.

Instead of bleeding out, the moment he had inserted the pen, he could see the connection forming. The skin of the arm he was holding rapidly decreased in temperature, just as his tutor had taught him.

Carefully he lifted the writing utensil without widening the wound, and to his relief the man's substance became slightly paler. "Torquil you will not die. You will simply cease to exist. You were never born, you will never be dead." He whispered soothingly while mumbling the formula under his breath. Then on a second piece of paper, he started to draw his signature for a second time. Only 2 minutes left.

The air was now filled in the sweet fragrance of the blood he had longed for so long, he had worked for harder than ever in his life. It was time. An unrefined animal instinct cursed through him. It required all his self control not to immediately pounce on the wounded exalted criminal.

As the lilac crystal ink manifested, it changed into a thick scarlet colour, seemingly sucking in its prey's substance, until, just a few seconds later, where afore sat a man named Torquil Tabor blew a gentle zephyr.

In fascination the young demon watched the last very last drop of his magic spent on the red writing starting to swirl together, rising into smoke, shifting back to a violet and finally crystallizing into a small glass bottle in the shape of a violet open rose blossom. The parchment was once again yellowed. The famished demon hastily grabbed the small bottle on top, recognizing the faint clangs of the church bells announcing midnight.

The taste was truly impeccable. It was nothing like he tasted before. No wonder demons went through such lengths to take in such delicacy. The closest thing he had ever consumed would be the golden honey-like soul Sebastian had fed him. Almost instantly the throbbing war in his abdomen subsided. It was so light, yet so filling. Deliciously sweet! Exceptionally savory! Yet somehow he could make out something passionate, deceivingly rich in the texture. He could not remember a time his tongue had enjoyed a taste as much, including Sebastian's pastries. Ciel found it impossible to finish all of it. Even though it had been only one soul; he noticed after taking his fill that he barely drank a quarter of the bottle. How miraculous!

That moment, the ringing of the bells abate and the first second of his birthday passed by smoothly. The Phantomhive heir let out a long sigh of alleviation he did not think he held.

With a sincere smile on his face he took the remaining piece of paper into one hand, and noting the new level of power surge incinerated it.

Hi guys! Do flame me! I very much deserve it! I promised you to upload more and longer during Easter vacation, but in the end pathetic me ended up watching children's anime online, while being generally depressed and unproductive! I only managed to publish one elongated chapter! But this is going to change NOW!

(To be fair, I had the most important exam in my university career yesterday and I spent a whole 2 weeks 12h a day in the library, studying. My brain went psycho and I couldn't stop yelling at people to shut up, not even speak Japanese! But it all passes by yesterday and I felt like I had to compensate my loyal readers.)

I had the most fun throughout this fic, writing this chapter! I actually spent a whole DAY (literally 10h!) on this chapter. It is THE LONGEST I have EVER published! And I have to say I am proud of myself. I know where to go, trust me. My estimated timeline to finish this fic is in the next 2 chapters, so please stay put!

I am so grateful to everyone that is still with me, and just want to say that I LOVE you all! Thanks for the favs, alerts and comments!

The playlist to this chapter was (yes, I need music if the chapter is supposed to be as long as this one) mainly consisting of Kuroshitsuji OST, taylor swift's "you belong with me" and Burno Mars' (Count on me, Grenade, talking to the moon).

This link is a picture I found of the age Ciel is in my story (approximately). So do check it out! And I even spent hours drawing a (questionable?) picture of ciel's apparel in this chapter! I will upload it on my new deviantart account along with my sketches of William's and (hint, hint) Sebastian's outfits.

http: / media . photobucket . com/image/ciel%20phantomhive%20adult%20version/jessie_lareina68/Adult_Version_Of_Ciel_in_PSP_by_Aly. png

Just close the spaces I made in the link!

Next Monday is my BIRTHDAY people! I am so looking forward to it! But I will also have 3 very important final exams on Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I can't promise I won't forego fanfic writing for my bday party ok? I'm dedicated, but I'm still important! I will see you tops 2 weeks then! :D Let's get this finished!

Feeling like wishing me Happy Birthday? Or just generally liked my story?

In that case: Please leave a comment!


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